I
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2665
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 10, 2019
Mr. McNerney (for himself and Mr. Kinzinger) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a smart energy and water efficiency program, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Act of 2019
.
Smart energy and water efficiency program
Definitions
In this section:
Eligible entity
The term eligible entity means—
a municipality;
a water district; and
any other entity that provides water, wastewater, or water reuse services, including a joint water and power authority.
Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Energy.
Smart energy and water efficiency program
The term smart energy and water efficiency program or program means the program established under subsection (b).
Smart energy and water efficiency program
In general
The Secretary shall establish and carry out a smart energy and water efficiency program in accordance with this section.
Eligible projects
In carrying out the smart energy and water efficiency program, the Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to carry out projects that implement advanced and innovative technology-based solutions that will improve the energy or water efficiency of water, wastewater, or water reuse systems to—
help eligible entities make significant progress in conserving water, conserving energy, or reducing the operating costs of such systems;
support the implementation of innovative processes or the installation of advanced automated systems that provide real-time data on energy and water; or
improve predictive maintenance of water, wastewater, or water reuse systems through the use of Internet-connected technologies, such as sensors, intelligent gateways, or security embedded in hardware.
Project selection
In general
The Secretary shall make competitive, merit-reviewed grants under the program to not fewer than 3, but not more than 5, eligible entities.
Selection criteria
In selecting an eligible entity to receive a grant under the program, the Secretary shall consider—
energy and cost savings anticipated to result from the project;
the innovative nature, commercial viability, and reliability of the technology to be used;
the degree to which the project integrates innovative sensors, software, hardware, analytics, and management tools;
the anticipated cost-effectiveness of the project in terms of energy savings, water savings or reuse, and infrastructure costs averted;
whether the technology can be deployed in a variety of geographic regions and the degree to which the technology can be implemented on a smaller or larger scale, including whether the technology can be implemented by other types of eligible entities; and
whether implementation of the project will be complete within 5 years.
Applications
In general
Subject to clause (ii), an eligible entity seeking a grant under the program shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary determines to be necessary.
Contents
An application under clause (i) shall, at a minimum, include—
a description of the project;
a description of the technology to be used in the project;
the anticipated results, including energy and water savings, of the project;
a comprehensive budget for the project; and
the number of households or customers that are served by the eligible entity and will benefit from the project.
Administration
In general
Not later than 300 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall select grant recipients under this section.
Evaluations
The Secretary shall annually for 5 years carry out an evaluation of each project for which a grant is provided under this section that—
evaluates the progress and effects of the project; and
assesses the degree to which the project can be replicated in other regions, systems, and situations.
Technical assistance
On the request of a grant recipient, the Secretary shall provide technical assistance to the grant recipient to carry out the project.
Best practices
The Secretary shall make available to the public—
a copy of each evaluation carried out under subparagraph (B); and
a description of any best practices identified by the Secretary as a result of those evaluations.
Report to Congress
Not later than the date on which the Secretary completes the last evaluation required under subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report containing the results of each evaluation carried out under such subparagraph.
Funding
In general
The Secretary shall use not less than $15,000,000 of amounts made available to the Secretary to carry out this section.
Prioritization
In funding activities under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize funding in the following manner:
The Secretary shall first use any unobligated amounts made available to the Secretary to carry out the activities of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office.
After any amounts described in subparagraph (A) have been used, the Secretary shall then use any unobligated amounts (other than those described in subparagraph (A)) made available to the Secretary.