Policy Resolution ETE-15-15

Recognizing the Vital Role on Our Water infrastructure, Water-Energy Nexus, and Need for Energy Efficiency
Energy, Transportation, and Environment (ETE) Committee

WHEREAS, water is a fundamental component of modern society, supporting a range of essential activities for consumers and businesses;

WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) has a long history of working on behalf of minority and low-income constituents to ensure equal access to high quality and affordable drinking water and other basic water services;

WHEREAS, public and private water and wastewater systems in the United States are pervasive, delivering clean water for drinking and removing and treating wastewater from homes using a complex infrastructure of plants, pumps, and pipes;

WHEREAS, water is also a vital component of major sectors like energy, which uses 580 billion cubic meters of freshwater every year;

WHEREAS, by many estimates, including those of the American Society of Civil Engineers, much of the U.S. water infrastructure is outdated and in dire need of repairs, requiring over $1 trillion in investment over the next decade to modernize infrastructure that, in many places, is over a century old;

WHEREAS, treating and delivering water for these many uses requires a significant amount of energy to fuel pumps, treatment plants, monitoring systems, and other automated components of water and wastewater systems;

WHEREAS, the U.S. water sector accounts for about five percent of all U.S. energy consumption, a share that could grow as a result of increased inefficiencies in outdated water systems (e.g., inefficient pumps and greater energy demand to pressurize increasingly leaky systems);

WHEREAS, the close relationship between the water and energy sectors has been described as the “water energy nexus,” a term that underscores the many interdependencies of these two sectors;

WHEREAS, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently considering new rules to cut carbon emissions from existing sources throughout the country;

WHEREAS, a major provision of the EPA’s proposed rules would afford states, latitude to design programs, either on their own or in partnership with other states, to meet federally mandated targets for cutting statewide emissions;

WHEREAS, there is broad recognition, including by the U.S. Department of Energy, of the ability to leverage the water-energy nexus in bolstering energy and water efficiency throughout the United States;

WHEREAS, state legislatures and regulatory bodies, possess the tools needed to implement policies, programs, and incentives to protect the environment and encourage energy efficiency; and

WHEREAS, there is significant evidence to suggest that exploring these opportunities could yield more modern and more energy efficient water infrastructure, more reliable service, stable rates for consumers, and lower carbon emissions for states and the country as a whole.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) recognizes the importance of our water infrastructure and the many opportunities it affords to states and the federal government in their collective efforts to combat climate variability;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL calls on the EPA to provide states with flexibility to support energy efficiency measures and reductions that allow states to use innovative and customized approaches to meet or exceed the EPA’s goals;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL respectfully urges state regulators and other relevant state-level policymakers to educate themselves on the constraints facing the nation’s water infrastructure and need to modernize it to ensure successful modernization and increased efficiency;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL urges Congress and the Administration to fully fund both the EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, as they are crucial tools toward assisting communities to modernize their water infrastructure; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

  • SPONSORS: Representative Mia Jones (FL) and Representative Billy Mitchell (GA)
  • Committee of Jurisdiction: Energy, Transportation, and Environment Policy Committee
  • Certified by Committee Chair: Representative Billy Mitchell (GA)
  • Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 12, 2014
  • Ratification is certified by: Representative Joe Armstrong (TN), President