{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s176-114/featured_w21-1454545966.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s176-114/featured_large_w21-1454545966.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s176-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-01-13","title_override":"Fighting The Drought With Grant Funding And Rebates","summary_override":"

In response to the severe drought in California and the American southwest, this bill would expand rebates and grants for water efficiency, support water recycling and groundwater management investments, re-authorize water research programs, and create an open water data system.

First, the bill would create a \"WaterSense program\" to identify and promote water efficient products, services, buildings/facilities and processes.

The program would be run by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) who would offer grants to people and companies who are actively trying to conserve the nation's water quality and quantity. Aside from running the grant program, the EPA would also have to outline voluntary national drought guidelines to help the public prepare for water shortages.

The bill would authorize the Department of the Interior to financially support water projects (like water recycling, infrastructure, desalination, and storage) in states like California, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and many others.

An open water data system would also be created by the U.S. Geological Survey to make water research and assessment information more widely accessible. The Water Desalination Act of 1996 and water research and technology institutes through the Water Resources Research Act of 1984 would be extended through 2020.

","official_title":"A bill to advance integrated water management and development through innovation, resiliency, conservation, and efficiency in the 21st century, and for other purposes.","short_title":"W21","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Water in the 21st Century Act or W21\n\nThis bill establishes within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a WaterSense program to identify, label, and promote water efficient products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services.\n\nThis bill establishes a program to provide financial incentives for consumers to purchase and install products, buildings, landscapes, facilities, processes, and services labeled under the WaterSense program.\n\nThe EPA is required to make grants to owners or operators of water systems to address any ongoing or forecasted impact of climate change on a region's water quality or quantity.\n\nThe Department of the Interior may: (1) provide financial assistance to water projects in specified states, including projects for water recycling, water infrastructure, enhanced energy efficiency, desalination, and water storage and conveyance; and (2) transfer to nonfederal entities title to any reclamation projects or facility in need of rehabilitation that ...","summarized":true,"cost":1950000000,"cost_commentary":"According to the bill text, S. 176 would authorize, for the WaterSense program, $100,000,000 for FY2015; $150,000,000 for FY2016; $200,000,000 for FY2017; $150,000,000 for FY2018; $100,000,000 for FY2019; and a similar \"applicable amount\" adjusted for changes for the years that follow. An article in The Desert Sun cites that this legislation authorizes the use of $1.95 billion in loans and grants over five years. ","impact":"People who live in U.S. regions impacted by drought, taxpayers, water conservation organizations, supplies, and services, desalination efforts, water research and technologies, the Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency. ","argument_for":"This bill offers long-term solutions to a drought that will only get worse with time. Promoting water conservation, research, and efficiency will not only help the public plan for current water shortages, but lessen the impact of future droughts.","argument_against":"Why should every taxpayer in the U.S. have to foot the bill for water conservation in a few choice states? Also, shouldn't the answer just be rationing? Why should it cost over a billion dollars to tell people in the southwest to take shorter showers?","bill_type":"s","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"s176-114","bill_id":"s176-114","formal_id":"S. 176","chamber":"senate","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-01-13T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/senate-bill/176","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114s176is/html/BILLS-114s176is.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s176-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/senate-bill/176/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-01-13","related_bill_ids":["hr291-114","hr813-114","s653-114","hr4497-114","hr6022-114"],"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":357,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Environment and Public Works","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSEV","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=s176-114","details":"/api/bills/s176-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/s176-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/s176-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/s176-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":2,"slug":"s176-114-w21","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":4909,"yea_vote_count":2612,"nay_vote_count":2287,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["environment"],"issue_ids":["environment","california","budgets"],"sponsor_id":81}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"environment","name":"Environment","slug":"environment","description":"Congressional legislation related to research and regulation of the Environment, including: Air and water quality, Pollution, Climate Change, Recycling, Radioactive Waste, Hazardous Wastes and Toxic Substances. ","page_title":"Federal legislation related to environmental protections and regulation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/environment/black_environment-1429042042.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/environment/grey_environment-1429042042.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/environment/white_environment-1429042042.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"california","name":"California","slug":"california","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding California. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. ","page_title":"California Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/california/black_california-1429042049.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/california/grey_california-1429042049.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/california/white_california-1429042049.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"budgets","name":"Budgets","slug":"budgets","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Budgets. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.","page_title":"Budgets Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/budgets/black_budgets-1429042067.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/budgets/grey_budgets-1429042067.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/budgets/white_budgets-1429042067.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Ryan","vote_count":965,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10202220751273980/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10202220751273980/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10202220751273980/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10202220751273980/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/Ow9DzeZg/following","followers":"/api/users/Ow9DzeZg/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":"","facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":41,"is_following":null,"influence_score":3165,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":14,"following_count":3,"position_count":194,"id":"Ow9DzeZg","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"ce85bca1-c178-4196-8fc0-037e5b38e9a4","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"The state has plenty of water on the west coast. It's the environmentalists and liberal progressives who are in way of sustainable relief, because they want more of everyone else's money to fund their failed policies.","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/ce85bca1-c178-4196-8fc0-037e5b38e9a4"},"body":"The state has plenty of water on the west coast. It's the environmentalists and liberal progressives who are in way of sustainable relief, because they want more of everyone else's money to fund their failed policies.","stance":"nay","created_at":"2015-06-05T17:25:31.241Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/ce85bca1-c178-4196-8fc0-037e5b38e9a4.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"s176-114","user_id":"Ow9DzeZg","endorser_ids":[]}}

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Fighting The Drought With Grant Funding And Rebates