Drinking Water Affordability Act

Summary: Drinking Water Affordability Act This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to revise requirements concerning national primary drinking water regulations, including by:  removing a requirement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintain, or provide greater, protection of human health when revising those regulations; extending the repayment schedule for loans from the drinking water state revolving funds (SRFs);  authorizing states to protect public drinking water source areas; removing federal reporting requirements if state or local requirements are not less stringent than federal requirements; and  requiring the EPA to conduct a review on best practices for streamlining the application process for public water systems to receive loans or loan guarantees from an SRF as well as best practices for administering SRFs efficiently. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Drinking Water Affordability Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT.

    (a) National Drinking Water Regulations.--Section 1412(b)(9) of the 
Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300g-1(b)(9)) is amended by striking 
the last sentence and inserting ``Any revision of a national primary 
drinking water regulation shall be promulgated in accordance with this 
section, including paragraphs (3) through (6) of this subsection.''
    (b) Enforcement of Drinking Water Regulations.--Section 
1414(h)(1)(C) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300g-
3(h)(1)(C)) is amended by inserting ``or management'' after ``the 
transfer of ownership''.
    (c) State Revolving Loan Funds.--
            (1) Assistance for disadvantaged communities.--Section 
        1452(d)(2) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-
        12(d)(2)) is amended by striking ``30'' and inserting ``35''.
            (2) Types of assistance.--Section 1452(f)(1) of the Safe 
        Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-12(f)(1)) is amended--
                    (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as 
                subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the 
                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) each loan will be fully amortized not later 
                than 30 years after the completion of the project, 
                except that in the case of a disadvantaged community 
                (as defined in subsection (d)(3)) a State may provide 
                an extended term for a loan, if the extended term--
                            ``(i) terminates not later than the date 
                        that is 40 years after the date of project 
                        completion; and
                            ``(ii) does not exceed the expected design 
                        life of the project;''; and
                    (C) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``1 year after 
                completion of the project for which the loan was made'' 
                and all that follows through ``design life of the 
                project;'' and inserting ``18 months after completion 
                of the project for which the loan was made;''.
            (3) Other authorized activities.--Section 1452(k)(1)(C) of 
        the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-12(k)(1)(C)) is 
        amended by striking ``for fiscal years 1996 and 1997'' and all 
        that follows through the period at the end and inserting ``for 
        fiscal years 2018 through 2024 to delineate, assess, update 
        assessments, and undertake implementation activities with 
        respect to source water protection areas in accordance with the 
        requirements of a program approved under section 1453, 
        excluding any activity required to be conducted under the 
        Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et 
        seq.).''.
    (d) Exemption From Federal Cross-Cutting Requirements.--Part E of 
the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 1459C. EXEMPTION FROM FEDERAL CROSS-CUTTING REQUIREMENTS.

    ``Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator 
shall exempt a public water system that receives financial assistance 
pursuant to section 1452 from a Federal cross-cutting requirement if 
the Administrator determines that the State in which the public water 
system is located has in effect a requirement which is not less 
stringent than the Federal cross-cutting requirement.''.
    (e) Definition of Federal Cross-Cutting Requirement.--Section 1401 
of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(17) Federal cross-cutting requirement.--The term 
        `Federal cross-cutting requirement' means a requirement of a 
        Federal law or regulation, compliance with which is a condition 
        on receipt of a loan or grant under this title, that, if 
        applied to projects and activities receiving such financial 
        assistance, would be redundant with a requirement of an 
        applicable State or local law.''.

SEC. 3. REPORTS.

    (a) State Loan Fund Administration and Application Process.--
            (1) Review.--The Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency shall conduct a review on best practices 
        for--
                    (A) streamlining the application process for public 
                water systems to receive loans or loan guarantees from 
                a State drinking water treatment revolving loan fund; 
                and
                    (B) efficient administration of State drinking 
                water treatment revolving loan funds.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency shall submit to Congress, and make available 
        to States, a report on the review conducted under paragraph 
        (1), including any recommendations.
    (b) GAO Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall prepare and submit to Congress a report containing--
            (1) the results of a study of cost-effective and 
        economically feasible rehabilitation or replacement of drinking 
        water infrastructure to meet the goals of the Safe Drinking 
        Water Act; and
            (2) an assessment of barriers that preclude communities 
        from using materials and technologies studied pursuant to 
        paragraph (1).