Title: Water Technology Acceleration Act
Policy area: Environmental Protection

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

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3012 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3012

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 innovative water technology, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 6, 2018

  Ms. Baldwin introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 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 public utility, including publicly owned 
                treatment works and clean water systems;
                    (B) a unit of local government, including a 
                municipality or a joint powers authority;
                    (C) a private entity, including a farmer or 
                manufacturer;
                    (D) an institution of higher education;
                    (E) a research institution or foundation;
                    (F) a State;
                    (G) a regional organization; or
                    (H) a nonprofit organization.
    (b) Grant Program Authorized.--The Administrator shall carry out a 
grant program for the purposes described in subsection (c) to 
accelerate the development of innovative water technologies that 
address pressing water challenges.
    (c) Grants.--In carrying out the program under subsection (b), the 
Administrator shall make to eligible entities grants that--
            (1) finance projects to develop, deploy, test, and improve 
        emerging water technologies;
            (2) fund entities that provide technical assistance to 
        deploy innovative water technologies more broadly, especially--
                    (A) to increase adoption of 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
                    (B) in a manner that reduces ratepayer or community 
                costs over time, including the cost of future capital 
                investments; or
            (3) support technologies that, as determined by the 
        Administrator--
                    (A) improve water quality of a water source;
                    (B) improve the safety and security of a drinking 
                water delivery system;
                    (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 water 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 stormwater runoff;
                    (J) reduce sewer or stormwater overflows;
                    (K) conserve water;
                    (L) improve water quality by reducing salinity;
                    (M) mitigate air quality impacts associated with 
                declining water resources;
                    (N) address treatment byproduct and brine disposal 
                alternatives; or
                    (O) address urgent water quality and human health 
                needs.
    (d) Priority Funding.--In making grants under this section, the 
Administrator shall give priority to projects that have the potential--
            (1) to provide substantial cost savings across a sector;
            (2) to significantly improve human health or the 
        environment; or
            (3) to provide additional water supplies with minimal 
        environmental impact.
    (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 
development of innovative water technologies made as a result of 
funding provided under this section.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each fiscal 
year.
    (i) 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.

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) by striking the heading and inserting 
                ``Additional Assistance.--'';
                    (B) 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.--Notwithstanding 
                any other provision of this section, in the case of a 
                State that makes a loan under subsection (a)(2) to 
                carry out an eligible activity through the use of an 
                innovative water technology (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), the State may provide additional 
                subsidization, including forgiveness of principal that 
                is not more than 50 percent of the cost of the portion 
                of the project associated with the innovative 
                technology.'';
                    (C) 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, not more than 20 percent of the loan subsidies 
                that may be made by a State under paragraph (1) may be 
                used to provide additional subsidization under 
                subparagraph (B) of that paragraph.''; and
                    (D) 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 innovative water 
technologies.
    ``(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 innovative water technologies;
            ``(2) the barriers impacting greater use of innovative 
        water technologies; and
            ``(3) the cost-saving potential to cities and future 
        infrastructure investments from emerging 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--
            (1) in clause (iii), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) to encourage the use of innovative 
                        water technologies related to any of the issues 
                        identified in clauses (i) through (iv) or, as 
                        determined by the State, any other eligible 
                        project and activity eligible for assistance 
                        under subsection (c)''.
    (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 innovative water technologies.
    ``(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 innovative 
        water technologies;
            ``(2) the barriers impacting greater use of innovative 
        water technologies; and
            ``(3) the cost-saving potential to cities and future 
        infrastructure investments from emerging technologies.''.
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