Title: Water Technology Acceleration Act
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Water Technology Acceleration Act
This bill provides support for developing and deploying emerging or innovative water technology, including by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out a grant program for accelerating the development of emerging or innovative water technologies that address pressing water challenges.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6727 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6727

To establish an innovative water technology grant program and to amend 
the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 
 to encourage the use of emerging and innovative water technology, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 6, 2018

 Ms. Moore (for herself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Al Green of 
   Texas, and Mr. Gallego) introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 
   the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Natural 
 Resources, 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 establish an innovative water technology grant program and to amend 
the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 
 to encourage the use of emerging and innovative water technology, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Water Technology Acceleration Act''.

SEC. 2. INNOVATIVE WATER TECHNOLOGY GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
            (2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a publicly owned treatment works (as defined in 
                section 212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 
                Act);
                    (B) a public water system (as defined in section 
                1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act);
                    (C) a unit of local government, including a joint 
                powers authority;
                    (D) an institution of higher education or other 
                research institution;
                    (E) a State;
                    (F) an entity representing a regional, multi-State 
                collaboration among entities described in this 
                paragraph; or
                    (G) any other appropriate entity, including a 
                nonprofit organization, a farmer, or a manufacturer, as 
                determined by the Administrator.
    (b) Grant Program Authorized.--The Administrator shall carry out a 
grant program for the purposes described in subsection (c) to 
accelerate the development of emerging or innovative water technologies 
that address pressing water challenges.
    (c) Grants.--
            (1) Technologies.--In carrying out the program under 
        subsection (b), the Administrator shall make grants to eligible 
        entities to support emerging or innovative technologies that, 
        as determined by the Administrator--
                    (A) improve the water quality of a drinking water 
                source;
                    (B) improve the security of a drinking water 
                delivery system and the safety of the drinking water;
                    (C) minimize contamination of drinking water and 
                drinking water sources, including contamination by 
                lead, bacteria, chlorides, and nitrates;
                    (D) improve the quality and timeliness and decrease 
                the cost of drinking water quality tests, especially 
                technologies that can be deployed within drinking water 
                delivery systems and at individual faucets to provide 
                accurate real-time tests of water quality, especially 
                with respect to lead, bacteria, and nitrate content;
                    (E) increase water supplies in arid areas that are 
                experiencing, or have recently experienced, prolonged 
                drought conditions;
                    (F) treat edge-of-field runoff to improve water 
                quality;
                    (G) treat agricultural, municipal, and industrial 
                wastewater;
                    (H) recycle or reuse water;
                    (I) manage urban storm water runoff;
                    (J) reduce sewer or stormwater overflows;
                    (K) help publicly owned treatment works, public 
                water systems, or large-scale water users conserve 
                water;
                    (L) improve water quality or water supply by 
                reducing salinity;
                    (M) mitigate air quality impacts associated with 
                declining water resources;
                    (N) address the disposal of byproducts of water 
                treatment, including brine; or
                    (O) address urgent water quality, and related human 
                health, needs.
            (2) Uses.--An eligible entity may use a grant made under 
        this section to--
                    (A) finance projects to develop, deploy, test, or 
                improve emerging or innovative water technologies 
                described in paragraph (1); or
                    (B) provide technical assistance to deploy emerging 
                or innovative water technologies described in paragraph 
                (1) more broadly, especially--
                            (i) to increase adoption of such emerging 
                        or innovative water technologies in--
                                    (I) municipal drinking water and 
                                wastewater treatment systems;
                                    (II) areas served by private wells; 
                                or
                                    (III) water supply systems in arid 
                                areas that are experiencing, or have 
                                recently experienced, prolonged drought 
                                conditions; and
                            (ii) in a manner that reduces ratepayer or 
                        community costs over time, including the cost 
                        of future capital investments.
    (d) Priority Funding.--In making grants under this section, the 
Administrator shall give priority to eligible entities for activities 
that--
            (1) have the potential--
                    (A) to significantly improve human health or the 
                environment;
                    (B) to provide additional water supplies with 
                minimal environmental impact; or
                    (C) to provide substantial cost savings across a 
                sector; or
            (2) are located in States that have prioritized the use of 
        State water pollution control and drinking water revolving fund 
        resources pursuant to the amendments made by sections 3 and 4 
        of this Act to support the deployment of emerging or innovative 
        water technologies described in subsection (c)(1).
    (e) Cost-Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of activities 
carried out using a grant under this section shall be not more than 65 
percent.
    (f) Limitation.--The maximum amount of a grant under this section 
shall be $5,000,000.
    (g) Report.--Each year, the Administrator shall submit to Congress, 
and make publicly available on the website of the Administrator, a 
report that describes any advancements during the previous year in the 
development of emerging or innovative water technologies made as a 
result of funding provided under this section.
    (h) Funding.--
            (1) Initial funding.--Out of any funds in the Treasury not 
        otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 
        transfer to the Administrator to provide grants to eligible 
        entities under this section $10,000,000, to remain available 
        until expended.
            (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for 
        each fiscal year.

SEC. 3. INNOVATION IN DRINKING WATER STATE REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS.

    Section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-12) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``Notwithstanding'' and 
                        inserting the following:
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Innovative water technology.--In the case of 
                any additional subsidization provided pursuant to 
                subparagraph (A) to carry out a project to deploy an 
                emerging or innovative water technology described in 
                section 2(c)(1) of the Water Technology Acceleration 
                Act (including technologies to improve water treatment 
                to ensure compliance with this title and technologies 
                to identify and mitigate sources of drinking water 
                contamination, including lead contamination), any 
                provided forgiveness of principal may not exceed an 
                amount equal to 50 percent of the cost of the portion 
                of the project associated with the emerging or 
                innovative water technology.'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking ``For each fiscal year'' 
                        and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) In general.--For each fiscal year''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Innovative water technology.--For each fiscal 
                year, of the loan subsidies made by a State pursuant to 
                paragraph (1), not more than 20 percent may be used to 
                provide additional subsidization described in 
                subparagraph (B) of that paragraph.''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (3), in the first sentence, by 
                inserting ``, or portion of a service area,'' after 
                ``service area''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(s) Technical Assistance.--The Administrator may provide 
technical assistance to facilitate and encourage the provision of 
financial assistance for the deployment of emerging or innovative water 
technologies described in section 2(c)(1) of the Water Technology 
Acceleration Act.
    ``(t) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
the Water Technology Acceleration Act, and not less frequently than 
every 5 years thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a 
report that describes--
            ``(1) the amount of financial assistance provided by State 
        loan funds to deploy emerging or innovative water technologies 
        described in section 2(c)(1) of such Act;
            ``(2) the barriers preventing greater use of such emerging 
        or innovative water technologies; and
            ``(3) the cost-saving potential to cities and future 
        infrastructure investments from such emerging or innovative 
        water technologies.''.

SEC. 4. INNOVATION IN STATE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL REVOLVING LOAN 
              FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--Section 603(i)(1)(B) of the Federal Water 
Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1383(i)(1)(B)) is amended, in the 
matter preceding clause (i), by inserting ``(including emerging or 
innovative water technologies described in section 2(c)(1) of the Water 
Technology Acceleration Act)'' after ``or technology''.
    (b) Innovative Water Technologies.--Section 603 of the Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1383) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
    ``(j) Technical Assistance.--The Administrator may provide 
technical assistance to facilitate and encourage the provision of 
financial assistance for the deployment of emerging or innovative water 
technologies described in section 2(c)(1) of the Water Technology 
Acceleration Act.
    ``(k) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
the Water Technology Acceleration Act, and not less frequently than 
every 5 years thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a 
report that describes--
            ``(1) the amount of financial assistance provided by State 
        water pollution control revolving funds to deploy emerging or 
        innovative water technologies described in section 2(c)(1) of 
        such Act;
            ``(2) the barriers preventing greater use of such emerging 
        or innovative water technologies; and
            ``(3) the cost-saving potential to cities and future 
        infrastructure investments from such emerging or innovative 
        water technologies.''.
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