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Washington, D.C. – Yesterday in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-11) introduced an important water efficiency amendment to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The amendment is based on the Water Advanced Technologies for Advanced Resource Use (WATER) Act, legislation authored by Congressman George Miller (CA-07) and Congressman Rush Holt (NJ-12).
The amendment, adopted by the Committee, will promote water efficiency and consequently reduce energy consumption by codifying the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program. The WaterSense program, similar to the EnergyStar program, promotes voluntary labeling of products and services that are water efficient.
“There’s an important link between our country’s use of water and consumption of energy,” said Rep. McNerney. “I was proud to introduce and speak for this provision that will provide consumers with the information they need to purchase products that will save water and lower their utility bills.”
"WaterSense lets consumers make smarter decisions about their water and energy use,” said Rep. Miller. “As we make the transition to a clean energy economy, expanding WaterSense and providing incentives for water-saving consumer products will help reduce demand for water and for energy. I congratulate my friend Jerry McNerney for his leadership in the Energy Committee on this critical issue for California and the country.”
“Water efficiency saves energy by reducing the amount of energy used to heat, transport, and clean water. The savings are substantial and real,” Rep. Holt said. “Our initiative offers a common-sense approach to promote water efficiency. I thank Representative McNerney for his work to include this in the comprehensive energy bill.”
The amendment also provides for grants to states, local governments and other entities to offer financial incentives through vouchers or rebates to consumers who purchase and install water-efficient products and services. For those states, local governments and other entities that have already established voucher or rebate programs, the amendment provides funding to expand existing programs.
Nationwide, 14 percent of electricity is used for treating, delivering, and heating water. In California, one-fifth of the state’s electricity is used for this same purpose. It’s also estimated that if one out of every 100 American homes was retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, it would save enough energy to power about 9,100 homes for an entire year and avoid adding 80,000 tons of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere.
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