Water Use Efficiency and Conservation Research Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3957) to increase research, development, education, and technology transfer activities related to water use efficiency and conservation technologies and practices at the Environmental Protection Agency, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3957, the bill now under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, dwindling water supplies are creating concern across this country. Thirty-six States are currently or expect to experience significant water shortages within the next 5 years. That's why I introduced H.R. 3957, the Water Use Efficiency and Conservation Act. This bill would establish a research and development program within the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development to promote water efficiency and conservation.

Madam Speaker, tough decisions lie ahead for water managers who must balance the needs of agriculture, consumption by cities, industrial and energy production, transportation, tourism, wastewater treatment, energy response, and ecosystems. We are not going to solve this problem overnight, but H.R. 3957 will provide us with several important tools to address the coming issues we face with technology and innovative thinking. By encouraging research and development into water-use efficiency, we can create a path to increase our Nation's water supply.

H.R. 3957 would expand EPA's scope and involvement solving the Nation's water crisis through the development of technologies and processes to expand water supplies through storage, treatment, and reuse of rainwater, storm water and grey water.

The program will also conduct research on water storage and distribution systems, research on behavioral, social, and economic barriers to achieving greater water efficiency, and research on the use of watershed planning.

As part of the program, EPA will develop a strategic plan to outline the best path forward to avoid duplication and work towards the most relevant problems facing our water supply.

My bill directs the EPA to facilitate the adoption of technology and processes to increase water efficiency and conservation. The new program will collect information on new technologies that achieve more efficient use of water and provide this information through a public clearinghouse.

I want to thank Chairman Gordon for his interest in this legislation and for his leadership in ensuring adequate water supply for the 21st century in this country. I also want to thank all of the members of the House Science and Technology Committee for their bipartisan support and for their collaboration--their thoughtful collaboration I would say--on this bill. In the full committee, amendments were adopted that were authored by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Congressman Phil Gingrey, and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Their amendments made this a better bill, and I certainly appreciate their input.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I just would encourage everyone to support this. The Science Committee reported this bill in a unanimous bipartisan vote. That's the tradition of the Science Committee to work in a bipartisan way.

I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3957, a measure aimed at increasing research, development, education, and technology transfer activities related to water use efficiency and conservation technologies at the Environmental Protection Agency.

It is evident that current water use and management practices are draining supplies and it is critical that we obtain knowledge of newer technologies that will increase sustainability. It is our hope that this legislation will promote technologies and approaches that will contribute towards ensuring a healthy and sustainable water supply.

EPA's research, development and dissemination of technologies that promote greater water use will also help to advance water conservation as a national goal.

More importantly, however, it is our hope that it will reduce the threat of a diminishing water supply and prepare us for water shortages that are increasing in frequency.

As the Chairwoman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, I am keenly aware of the need for increased Federal research on new and emerging technologies for water use efficiency and conservation. As noted in testimony before my Subcommittee, the growing water-related challenges facing our nation, including the need to repair and replace much of our antiquated water infrastructure, urban sprawl, and the threat of global warming, requires us to address these challenges in an integrated, comprehensive fashion--including the need to develop the next generation of water-related infrastructure.

I was pleased to work with Chairman Gordon and the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Matheson, on an amendment to include within the scope of research and development program technologies and processes to enable the collection, storage, treatment and reuse of stormwater, as well as the creation of a publicly-accessible clearing house for information on technologies and processes developed under this program. This amendment was adopted during the Committee on Science and Technology's markup of this legislation.

In an effort to bring this legislation to the floor for consideration as quickly as possible, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure did not seek a referral of the bill. The Transportation Committee did this, however, with the understanding that this decision does not waive, reduce or affect the jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

I look forward to a continuing dialogue with both the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology in Conference as we work to resolve our differences in this important piece of legislation. Working together we will be able to advance sustainable water use and management practices that will contribute to the overall health of our nation.

I also look forward to the next Congress when I hope to work with my colleagues on both the Science and Transportation Committees on improving research of water quality, as well as on improving the nation's monitoring systems for all facets of our precious water resources.

I urge my colleagues to join with me to support this bill, and authorizing the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a research and development program that will promote water use efficiency practices and promote water conservation as a national goal.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The Environmental Protection Agency, better known as the EPA, is the Nation's lead agency charged with protecting the environment and supporting the goals of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act by providing methods, approaches and tools needed to protect water sources. As such, relevant and high-quality research and development is very vital to EPA's ability to carry out its many missions.

However, EPA's research and development program is far from comprehensive or rationally organized. As of today, EPA only conducts coordinated research and development activities in three areas; water quality protection, watershed management, and source control management. And while these are essential research areas, I believe EPA is missing a critical component to their research agenda, and that is the research and development of technologies that increase efficiency and conservation.

According to the American Water Works Association, an international nonprofit scientific and educational organization, daily indoor per capita water consumption in a typical single family home is about 70 gallons. By installing more efficient water fixtures and checking for leaks, single family homes may reduce their daily per capita water consumption by about 35 percent.

While some of these technologies are on the market and utilized, many water-saving ideas linger in the research phase for lack of a coordinated Federal research program.

H.R. 3957 establishes a research and development program for water efficiency technologies and conservation at the EPA. It instructs the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Research and Development to develop a strategic research plan, coordinated with other relevant EPA strategic plans, to compel synchronization of different research agendas.

EPA is to use recommendations in existing reports from the National Academies and the National Science and Technology Council in the development of the plan. However, their effort should not be just a regurgitation of previous work.

Other countries, such as Israel, have invested significant resources in water efficiency and conservation research areas. We, too, have to invest resources if we are to weather water shortages in the future.

Madam Speaker, at a time when our Nation is really facing greater numbers of water events, we just can't afford to fall behind on technology research and development.

I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3957.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Chairman Oberstar of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for working with the Science and Technology Committee in such a cooperative and constructive manner on this bill, and I will insert an exchange of letters between the committees into the Record.

House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure,

Washington, DC, July 22, 2008.

Hon. Bart Gordon,

Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Gordon: I write to you regarding H.R. 3957, the ``Water Use Efficiency and Conservation Research Act.'' This legislation authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a research and development program to promote water use efficiency and conservation technologies and practices.

H.R. 3957 contains provisions that fall within the

jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure. I recognize and appreciate your desire to

bring this legislation before the House in an expeditious

manner and, accordingly, I will not seek a sequential

referral of the bill. However, I agree to waive consideration

of this bill with the mutual understanding that my decision

to forego a sequential referral of the bill does not waive,

reduce, or otherwise affect the jurisdiction of the Committee

on Transportation and Infrastructure over H.R. 3957.

Further, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

reserves the right to seek the appointment of conferees

during any House-Senate conference convened on this

legislation on provisions of the bill that are within the

Committee's jurisdiction. I ask for your commitment to

support any request by the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure for the appointment of conferees on H.R. 3957

or similar legislation.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response

acknowledging the Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure's jurisdictional interest in the Committee

Report on H.R. 3957 and in the Congressional Record during

consideration of the measure on the House Floor.

I look forward to working with you as we prepare to pass

this important legislation.

Sincerely,

James L. Oberstar, M.C.,

Chairman.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3957-- the Water Use Efficiency and Conservation Research Act. I commend my colleague from the Science Committee--Mr. Matheson of Utah--for crafting this thoughtful legislation that was reported to the House on a broad bipartisan basis.

Over the past year, my home State of Georgia--and specifically my district--has experienced significant and historic drought conditions that have brought to the forefront what the future may hold for our local water supply.

In addition to the drought conditions in my district, a number of other States are facing similar challenges. Over the next 5 years, more than half of the States in our country anticipate some sort of water shortage that will wreak havoc on our environment, as well as our economy.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 3957 addresses ways in which the Environmental Protection Agency can use its Office of Research and Development to promote technologies that increase water efficiency and conservation via collection, treatment and reuse of rainwater and greywater, and research on water storage.

I am encouraged that this legislation will promote the adoption of emerging technologies to help us make better use of one of our most precious resources--water. I am also very pleased that the Science Committee adopted an amendment that I offered directing the EPA to ensure that the research and development efforts resulting from this legislation complement all other EPA research and development endeavors. Proper implementation of a strategic research plan will ultimately make this program successful.

Madam Speaker, at a time when water shortages are becoming more commonplace in our Nation, I applaud the bipartisan work of the Science Committee under the leadership of Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall on this important legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3957.