Title: Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Act of 2019
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Act of 2019
This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish and carry out a smart energy and water efficiency program. Under the program, DOE must award grants to water authorities (i.e., authorities that provide water, wastewater, or water reuse services) for implementing advanced and innovative technology-based solutions that will improve the energy or efficiency of water, wastewater, and water reuse systems.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2665 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2665

To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a smart energy and water 
              efficiency program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2019

 Mr. McNerney (for himself and Mr. Kinzinger) introduced the following 
 bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 
in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Transportation 
 and Infrastructure, 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 direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a smart energy and water 
              efficiency program, 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 ``Smart Energy and Water Efficiency 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. SMART ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a municipality;
                    (B) a water district; and
                    (C) any other entity that provides water, 
                wastewater, or water reuse services, including a joint 
                water and power authority.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            (3) Smart energy and water efficiency program.--The term 
        ``smart energy and water efficiency program'' or ``program'' 
        means the program established under subsection (b).
    (b) Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and carry 
        out a smart energy and water efficiency program in accordance 
        with this section.
            (2) Eligible projects.--In carrying out the smart energy 
        and water efficiency program, the Secretary shall award grants 
        to eligible entities to carry out projects that implement 
        advanced and innovative technology-based solutions that will 
        improve the energy or water efficiency of water, wastewater, or 
        water reuse systems to--
                    (A) help eligible entities make significant 
                progress in conserving water, conserving energy, or 
                reducing the operating costs of such systems;
                    (B) support the implementation of innovative 
                processes or the installation of advanced automated 
                systems that provide real-time data on energy and 
                water; or
                    (C) improve predictive maintenance of water, 
                wastewater, or water reuse systems through the use of 
                Internet-connected technologies, such as sensors, 
                intelligent gateways, or security embedded in hardware.
            (3) Project selection.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary shall make 
                competitive, merit-reviewed grants under the program to 
                not fewer than 3, but not more than 5, eligible 
                entities.
                    (B) Selection criteria.--In selecting an eligible 
                entity to receive a grant under the program, the 
                Secretary shall consider--
                            (i) energy and cost savings anticipated to 
                        result from the project;
                            (ii) the innovative nature, commercial 
                        viability, and reliability of the technology to 
                        be used;
                            (iii) the degree to which the project 
                        integrates innovative sensors, software, 
                        hardware, analytics, and management tools;
                            (iv) the anticipated cost-effectiveness of 
                        the project in terms of energy savings, water 
                        savings or reuse, and infrastructure costs 
                        averted;
                            (v) whether the technology can be deployed 
                        in a variety of geographic regions and the 
                        degree to which the technology can be 
                        implemented on a smaller or larger scale, 
                        including whether the technology can be 
                        implemented by other types of eligible 
                        entities; and
                            (vi) whether implementation of the project 
                        will be complete within 5 years.
                    (C) Applications.--
                            (i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), an 
                        eligible entity seeking a grant under the 
                        program shall submit to the Secretary an 
                        application at such time, in such manner, and 
                        containing such information as the Secretary 
                        determines to be necessary.
                            (ii) Contents.--An application under clause 
                        (i) shall, at a minimum, include--
                                    (I) a description of the project;
                                    (II) a description of the 
                                technology to be used in the project;
                                    (III) the anticipated results, 
                                including energy and water savings, of 
                                the project;
                                    (IV) a comprehensive budget for the 
                                project; and
                                    (V) the number of households or 
                                customers that are served by the 
                                eligible entity and will benefit from 
                                the project.
            (4) Administration.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 300 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
                select grant recipients under this section.
                    (B) Evaluations.--The Secretary shall annually for 
                5 years carry out an evaluation of each project for 
                which a grant is provided under this section that--
                            (i) evaluates the progress and effects of 
                        the project; and
                            (ii) assesses the degree to which the 
                        project can be replicated in other regions, 
                        systems, and situations.
                    (C) Technical assistance.--On the request of a 
                grant recipient, the Secretary shall provide technical 
                assistance to the grant recipient to carry out the 
                project.
                    (D) Best practices.--The Secretary shall make 
                available to the public--
                            (i) a copy of each evaluation carried out 
                        under subparagraph (B); and
                            (ii) a description of any best practices 
                        identified by the Secretary as a result of 
                        those evaluations.
                    (E) Report to congress.--Not later than the date on 
                which the Secretary completes the last evaluation 
                required under subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall 
                submit to Congress a report containing the results of 
                each evaluation carried out under such subparagraph.
    (c) Funding.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall use not less than 
        $15,000,000 of amounts made available to the Secretary to carry 
        out this section.
            (2) Prioritization.--In funding activities under this 
        section, the Secretary shall prioritize funding in the 
        following manner:
                    (A) The Secretary shall first use any unobligated 
                amounts made available to the Secretary to carry out 
                the activities of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
                Energy Office.
                    (B) After any amounts described in subparagraph (A) 
                have been used, the Secretary shall then use any 
                unobligated amounts (other than those described in 
                subparagraph (A)) made available to the Secretary.
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