Water Efficiency Provisions in Climate Change Legislation

WaterSense is the EPA's voluntary program for labelling water-efficient high-performance products and services. The legislation also authorizes grants to eligible entities for programs offering incentives to consumers who purchase and install water-efficient products and services, such as those labelled under the WaterSense program.

No Republicans voted for the bill or even participated in the three-day committee markup. Eleven Democrats voted the bill out of committee without considering any amendments. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) was the lone Democrat to vote against the bill while all seven Republicans continued their boycott of the proceedings. Traditionally, two members of the minority are required to conduct committee business but Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) relied on a little-used procedural move that allowed for the totally partisan vote.

A Republican request that the committee allow time for the EPA to conduct an economic study on the bill was dismissed. At least five committees are considering some action on climate legislation before the bill can be voted on by the entire Senate. The Alliance for Water Efficiency will continue to monitor this legislation and post updates on its Legislative Watch web page.