EPA's WaterSense Authorized in Water Bill
CSBE
Sept. 28, 2018
EPA’s WaterSense program gets a permanent authorization in the water resources bill making its final push through Congress.
Along with the WaterSense provision, the legislation extends for two years the EPA's Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA), creates a stormwater financing federal taskforce, and authorizes $225 million per year for the next two years in grants to states and localities for water-related infrastructure projects.
The WaterSense program promotes water-efficient products through a labelling system and sets voluntary efficiency standards for water appliances such as toilets, showerheads, and landscape irrigation systems. WaterSense-labeled products and services are certified to use at least 20 percent less water, save energy, and perform as well as or better than regular models. The program has been proposed for elimination in the President’s last two annual budget requests to Congress.
Longview News-Journal
Sep 26, 2018
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) has submitted a petition to demand the EPA give Americans better information about the deadly asbestos being brought into the U.S.
The
“Right to Know” petition,
submitted to Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler by ADAO and five other leading environmental and public health organizations, calls on the EPA to do its job and protect Americans from this toxic substance.
Specifically, the Right to Know petition asks the EPA to use its authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to require importers and users of asbestos and asbestos-containing products to report on their activities and disclose these reports to the public. The petition is based on section 21 of TSCA, which enables citizens to petition EPA to require industry to file reports under the law and requires EPA to respond in 90 days. If EPA ignores or rejects the petition, the petitioners can file suit to compel the Agency to act.
More....
ON THE HILL
ACTION
Sponsor: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Latest Action: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. Sept 27, 2018
NEW BILLS
Sponsor: Rep. James Langevin (D-RI)
Introduced: Sept. 26, 2018
Sponsor: Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)
Introduced: Sept. 27, 2018
Sponsors: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI)
Introduced: Sept. 25, 2018
Sponsor: Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI)
Sept. 27, 2018
AT THE AGENCIES
DOE Issues a Request for Information Pertaining to Three-Phase Commercial Air-Cooled Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps
Dept. of Energy
Sept. 26, 2018
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has
issued
a pre-publication notice initiating a data collection process through a Request for Information (RFI) to consider whether to amend the DOE's test procedure for three-phase commercial air-cooled air conditioners and heat pumps with a cooling capacity of less than 65,000 British thermal units per hour ("Btu/h").
DOE requests and will accept comments, data, and information in response to the TP RFI until 60 days after the notice publishes in the Federal Register. DOE will send a follow-up e-mail when the notice publishes to announce the closing date of the comment period.
Interested persons are encouraged to submit comments using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
http://www.regulations.gov
. Alternatively, interested persons may submit comments, identified by docket number EERE-2017-BT-TP-0031, by email (
AirCooledACHP2017TP0031@ee.doe.gov
), postal mail, or hand delivery/courier.
DOE welcomes written comments from the public on any subject within the scope of this document (including topics not raised in this request for information).
