Sec. 2. WaterSense
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/bill/113/hr/123/ih/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
There is established within the Environmental Protection Agency a WaterSense program to identify and promote water efficient products, buildings and landscapes, and services in order— to reduce water use; to reduce the strain on water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure; to conserve energy used to pump, heat, transport, and treat water; and to preserve water resources for future generations, through voluntary labeling of, or other forms of communications about, products, buildings and landscapes, and services that meet the highest water efficiency and performance standards.
The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall— promote WaterSense labeled products, buildings and landscapes, and services in the market place as the preferred technologies and services for— reducing water use; and ensuring product and service performance; work to enhance public awareness of the WaterSense label through public outreach, education, water recycling and reuse technology research and development, and other means; establish and maintain performance standards so that products, buildings and landscapes, and services labeled with the WaterSense label perform as well or better than their less efficient counterparts; publicize the importance of proper installation of WaterSense plumbing products by a WaterSense-certified or, if WaterSense certification guidelines do not exist, licensed plumber or mechanical contractor, and the installation, maintenance, and audit of WaterSense irrigation systems by a WaterSense-certified irrigation professional to ensure optimal performance; preserve the integrity of the WaterSense label; regularly review and, when appropriate, update WaterSense criteria for categories of products, buildings and landscapes, and services, at least once every four years; regularly collect and make available to the public summary data on the production and relative market shares of WaterSense labeled products, buildings and landscapes, and services, at least annually; regularly estimate and make available to the public the water and energy savings attributable to the use of WaterSense labeled products, buildings and landscapes, and services, at least annually; solicit comments from interested parties and the public prior to establishing or revising a WaterSense category, specification, installation criterion, or other criterion (or prior to effective dates for any such category, specification, installation criterion, or other criterion); provide reasonable notice to interested parties and the public of any changes (including effective dates), on the adoption of a new or revised category, specification, installation criterion, or other criterion, along with— an explanation of changes; and as appropriate, responses to comments submitted by interested parties; provide appropriate lead time (as determined by the Administrator) prior to the applicable effective date for a new or significant revision to a category, specification, installation criterion, or other criterion, taking into account the timing requirements of the manufacturing, marketing, training, and distribution process for the specific product, building and landscape, or service category addressed; and identify and, where appropriate, implement other voluntary approaches, such as labeling waterless devices that perform the same function as a water consuming product or encouraging reuse, reclamation, and recycling technologies, in commercial, institutional, residential, municipal, and industrial sectors to improve water efficiency or lower water use while meeting the performance standards established under paragraph (3).
There are authorized to be appropriated $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2014, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2015, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2016, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2017 and each year thereafter, adjusted for inflation, to carry out this section.