69–010 

Calendar No. 1058 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 110–487 

CLIMATE CHANGE DRINKING WATER ADAPTATION 

RESEARCH ACT 

SEPTEMBER 24 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008.—Ordered to be printed 

Mrs. BOXER, from the Committee on Environment and Public 

Works, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 2970] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was 

referred a bill (S. 2970) to enhance the ability of drinking water 

utilities in the United States to develop and implement climate 

change adaptation programs and policies, and for other purposes, 

reports, favorably thereon, and recommends that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSES OF THE LEGISLATION

S. 2970, the Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act, would require the Environmental Protection Agency, in 

consultation with the Departments of Commerce, Energy, and Interior, to establish a research program to assist suppliers of drinking 

water in adapting to the effects of climate change. 

GENERAL STATEMENT AND BACKGROUND

According to scientific experts including the U.S. Climate Change 

Science Program conclude that climate change threatens our water 

supplies due to a variety of hydrologic cycle changes, including increasingly severe extreme weather events, decreased snow pack, 

decreased runoff, and increased saltwater intrusion. According to a 

report from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program under President Bush, ‘‘likely reductions in snowmelt, river flows, and groundwater levels, along with increases in saline intrusion into coastal 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with HEARING
2 

1 U.S. Climate Change Science Program, ‘‘Analyses of the effects of global change on human 

health and welfare and human systems,’’ Executive Summary, p. 8, http:// 

downloads.climatescience.gov/sap/sap4-6/sap4-6-final-all.pdf. 

rivers and groundwater, will reduce fresh water supplies.’’ 1 S. 2970 

provides for a 10-year research program on water supply impacts 

and adaptation strategies. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

Section 1 would provide that the Act may be cited as the ‘‘Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act.’’ 

Section 2. Findings 

The central findings of the Act are: (1) the consensus among climate scientists is overwhelming that climate change is occurring 

more rapidly than can be occurred to natural causes, and significant impacts to the water supply are already occurring, (2) among 

the first and most critical of those impacts will be change to patterns of precipitation around the world, which will affect water 

availability for the most basic drinking water and domestic water 

needs of populations in many areas of the United States, and supplying water is highly energy-intensive and will become more so 

and energy production consumes a significant percentage of the 

fresh water resources of the United States. Additional findings 

highlight the worldwide extent of the problem, the relationships between water use and production and energy use and production, 

the usefulness and findings of ongoing studies by research institutions and foundations, and the need for water utilities to prepare 

for a wider range of possibilities in managing and delivering water. 

Section 3. Research on the effects of climate change on drinking 

water utilities 

The Environmental Protection Agency, in cooperation with the 

Departments of Commerce, Energy, and Interior, shall establish 

and provide funding for a research program to be conducted 

through a nonprofit water research foundation, to assist suppliers 

of drinking water in adapting to the effects of climate change. 

Water utilities are also expected to sponsor such research working 

with such a nonprofit foundation. It is expected that the federallyfunded research plans will be developed through an open public 

process involving drinking water utilities, government experts, and 

others. 

Areas of research shall include: 

(1) Water quality impacts and solutions, including pathogens 

and algae and mitigating increasing damage to watersheds and 

water quality from extreme events, such as wildfire and hurricanes; 

(2) Impacts on ground water supply from carbon sequestration; 

(3) Water quantity impacts and solutions, including 

hydrological basin research, improvement of regional climate 

change models, and improved aboveground and underground 

storage; 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with HEARING
3 

(4) Infrastructure impacts and solutions for water treatment 

facilities and underground pipelines, including sea-level rise 

impacts and ways to increase resilience of existing infrastructure; 

(5) Desalination, water reuse and alternative water supply 

technologies; 

(6) Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas minimization in 

water supply and improving water efficiency in energy production; 

(7) Regional and hydrological basin cooperative management 

solutions; 

(8) Utility management, decision support systems, and water 

management models; 

(9) Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy demand 

management in the provision, transmission, and treatment of 

drinking water; 

(10) Water conservation and demand management; 

(11) Communications, education, and public acceptance for 

improved strategies and communication with customers, decisionmakers, and stakeholders. 

The Act authorizes appropriations of $25,000,000 per year from 

2009–2019. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY AND VOTES

On September 17, 2008, the Committee on Environment and 

Public Works held a business meeting at which the Committee considered S. 2970. The Committee favorably adopted the legislation 

by voice vote. 

REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the committee finds that the legislation would 

not have any regulatory impact. The Congressional Budget Office 

found that the bill imposes no private sector mandates. 

MANDATES ASSESSMENT

In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 

(Public Law 104–4), the Committee finds that the legislation establishes no intergovernmental or private sector mandates. The CBO 

found that ‘‘S. 2970 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 

mandates as defined in UMRA and would not affect the budgets of 

state, local, or tribal governments.’’ 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

SEPTEMBER 19, 2008. 

Hon. BARBARA BOXER, 

Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works, 

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MADAM CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has 

prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 2970, the Climate 

Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with HEARING
4 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Susanne S. Mehlman. 

Sincerely, 

PETER R. ORSZAG. 

Enclosure. 

S. 2970—Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act 

Summary: S. 1933 would require the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the Secretaries of Commerce, 

Energy, and the Interior, to establish a research program to help 

drinking water suppliers adapt to the effects of climate change. 

This legislation would authorize the appropriation of $25 million 

annually over the 2009–2019 period. 

Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that implementing S. 2970 would cost $106 million over the 

2009–2013 period and $169 million after 2013. Enacting S. 1933 

would not affect direct spending or revenues. 

S. 2970 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 

and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated budgetary impact of S. 2970 is shown in the following table. The costs 

of this legislation fall within budget function 300 (natural resources 

and environment). For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 2970 

will be enacted near the start of fiscal year 2009 and that the 

amounts authorized by the bill will be appropriated each year. Estimated outlays are based on historical spending patterns for similar programs. 

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars— 

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2009– 

2013 

CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION 

Authorization Level ................................................................................. 25 25 25 25 25 125 

Estimated Outlays .................................................................................. 10 21 25 25 25 106 

Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 2970 contains no 

intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA 

and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Susanne S. Mehlman. Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Burke Doherty. Impact on the Private Sector: Amy Petz. 

Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director 

for Budget Analysis. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

Section 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate requires the committee to publish changes in existing law made by 

the bill as reported. Passage of this bill will make no changes to 

existing law. 

Æ 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with HEARING