Title: ARPA–H20 Act of 2020
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
ARPA-H20 Act of 2020
This bill establishes the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Water within the Environmental Protection Agency to provide funding for projects concerning the treatment of drinking water or wastewater at water systems that serve the public. The water systems must be large decentralized systems that provide treatment for at least two households. The projects must be intended to enhance, through the deployment of advanced technologies, the treatment, monitoring, delivery, affordability, and safety of

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6113 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6113

To establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Water, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 2020

 Mr. Katko (for himself and Mr. Kildee) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Water, 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 ``ARPA-H20 Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY-WATER.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established within the Environmental 
Protection Agency the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Water, headed 
by a Director, who shall be appointed by the Administrator to carry out 
programs to provide funds to eligible entities for projects intended to 
enhance, through the deployment of advanced technologies, the 
treatment, monitoring, delivery, affordability, and safety of--
            (1) drinking water provided by a water system;
            (2) wastewater or stormwater discharged by a water system;
            (3) groundwater or well water used for drinking water; or
            (4) any other activities carried out by a water system for 
        the purposes of enhancing public health or environmental 
        safety.
    (b) Programs.--ARPA-H20 shall be comprised of programs that--
            (1) provide funds for projects described in subsection (a), 
        as determined appropriate by the Director; and
            (2) are carried out and overseen by program managers under 
        subsection (e).
    (c) Research Advisory Council.--
            (1) In general.--The Director shall establish a research 
        advisory council to recommend the content of the programs under 
        ARPA-H20, including annual research priorities for funding 
        consideration.
            (2) Membership.--The council established under paragraph 
        (1) shall be composed of 12 members appointed by the Director 
        who represent--
                    (A) public and private water systems including 
                large decentralized systems;
                    (B) academia;
                    (C) national nonprofits and organizations that 
                represent the water sector and collaborate with the 
                Agency;
                    (D) public or private entities engaged in 
                technology development, deployment, or consultation to 
                enhance delivery, reliability, affordability, and 
                safety of the operations of water systems; and
                    (E) relevant Federal agencies.
    (d) Responsibilities of the Director.--The Director shall--
            (1) approve each grant, contract, cooperative agreement, 
        cash prize, or other transaction to fund projects under this 
        Act;
            (2) terminate funding for any project under this Act that 
        does not meet the goals of the program through which such 
        project was funded;
            (3) ensure that projects funded under this Act are not 
        duplicative of other Federal research projects that enhance the 
        delivery, reliability, affordability, and safety of the 
        operations of water systems;
            (4) coordinate with non-governmental entities for 
        demonstration of technologies and research applications to 
        facilitate technology transfer;
            (5) establish research and development goals to carry out 
        this Act;
            (6) set criteria for funding and assessment of projects 
        under this Act in addition to the criteria established in 
        section 3(c); and
            (7) provide funds through any funding mechanism that the 
        Director determines appropriate to eligible entities to carry 
        out this Act.
    (e) Program Managers.--
            (1) In general.--The Director shall designate managers to 
        carry out the programs established under subsection (b).
            (2) Responsibilities.--A program manager shall--
                    (A) establish research and development goals for 
                the program, including by convening workshops, 
                conferring with outside experts, and publicizing the 
                goals of the program to public and private sector 
                entities;
                    (B) solicit applications for projects in specific 
                areas of particular promise, especially areas that the 
                private sector or the Federal Government are not likely 
                to undertake alone;
                    (C) build research collaborations to carry out the 
                program; and
                    (D) establish a selection process under the program 
                based upon criteria established in section 3(c).
            (3) Term.--The term of a program manager shall be not more 
        than 5 years and such term may be renewed by the Director.

SEC. 3. SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--In carrying out a program under this Act, the 
program manager shall select projects described in subsection (b) to 
receive funds under the program.
    (b) Eligible Projects.--Projects related to the following shall be 
eligible for funding under a program:
            (1) Advanced technologies for--
                    (A) the security and materials of water systems; or
                    (B) the testing, monitoring, conveyance, 
                distribution, and treatment of--
                            (i) drinking water provided by a water 
                        system; or
                            (ii) wastewater or stormwater discharged by 
                        a water system.
            (2) Water technologies that may improve efficiency and 
        resiliency of water systems, lower life-cycle costs or reduce 
        energy consumption of water systems treatment and conveyance.
            (3) Methods to detect, monitor, and address contaminants 
        present in drinking water or wastewater.
            (4) Methods to advance nutrient management for source water 
        protection.
            (5) Resource recovery of marketable products derived from 
        water systems including, but not limited to, nutrient, 
        biosolids, energy, metals, and recycled water.
            (6) Advancements in beneficial reuse and desalination that 
        support the diversification of water supplies.
            (7) Approaches to mitigation, containment, and treatment of 
        stormwater.
            (8) Methods to test, treat, and study the impacts of 
        emerging contaminants.
            (9) Any other activities carried out by a water system for 
        the purposes of enhancing public health or environmental 
        safety.
    (c) Criteria.--A program manager shall select a project to receive 
funds under the program based on the demonstration of the applicant 
of--
            (1) the scientific and technical merit of the proposed 
        project;
            (2) transformative technological potential;
            (3) the potential for cost effective technology 
        applications;
            (4) the capabilities of the applicants to successfully 
        carry out the proposed project;
            (5) the consideration of future commercial applications of 
        the project, including the feasibility of partnering with one 
        or more water sector entities;
            (6) the potential of the applicant to use funds from non-
        Federal sources in addition to the funds made available under 
        this Act; and
            (7) any other criteria considered appropriate by the 
        Director.

SEC. 4. TERMINATION; REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Termination.--The authority to carry out this Act shall 
terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date on which the first 
funds are appropriated for ARPA-H20.
    (b) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) Report to congress.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date on which funds are first appropriated to carry out this 
        Act, the Director shall submit to Congress a report with a 
        detailed list of each project funded under the new ARPA-H20 
        program and a description of the technological achievements and 
        progress made by the project.
            (2) Transparency.--The Director shall publish on a publicly 
        available website a description of each project that receives 
        funds under this Act, including--
                    (A) the name of the entity that received such 
                funds; and
                    (B) the amount of funds that such entity received.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) ARPA-h20.--The term ``ARPA-H20'' means the Advanced 
        Research Projects Agency-Water established in subsection (a).
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        ARPA-H20 appointed in subsection (a).
            (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means 
        the following:
                    (A) Nonprofit research organizations.
                    (B) Academic institutions.
                    (C) Private sector entities.
                    (D) Water systems.
                    (E) National labs.
                    (F) Federally funded research and development 
                centers.
                    (G) Research consortia that consist of entities in 
                industries that the Director determines relevant to the 
                program under this Act.
            (4) Water systems.--The term ``water system'' means an 
        entity that--
                    (A) serves the public;
                    (B) manages the supply, treatment, or conveyance 
                of--
                            (i) drinking water;
                            (ii) wastewater and water resource 
                        recovery;
                            (iii) stormwater; or
                            (iv) water reuse; and
                    (C) large decentralized systems that provide 
                treatment for two or more households.
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