Update on Previous Urgent Congressional Alert

2012-06-11

 

We alerted you last week that the House passed an amendment to the Energy Appropriations Bill to prohibit the Department of Energy from enforcing national showerhead flow standards. We have since learned that the Senate version of this bill (S 2465) was approved and reported out by the Senate Appropriations Committee on April 26th. It is in line to be scheduled for floor consideration, but no date has been set by the Senate leadership. While it may be unlikely that the Schweikert amendment would be added to the Senate bill, anything can happen once this spending bill reaches a Senate-House Conference Committee. The onus will be on supporters of the showerhead rules to get Schweikert’s amendment actually removed from the House bill during the conference committee process. The House bill is HR 5325.

Please contact your Senator with your views, particularly if your Senator is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, which is chaired by Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-CA.

The members of the subcommittee are:

  Democratic Subcommittee Members

  • Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA)(Chair)
  • Senator Patty Murray (WA)
  • Senator Tim Johnson (SD)
  • Senator Mary Landrieu (LA)
  • Senator Jack Reed (RI)
  • Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ)
  • Senator Tom Harkin (IA)
  • Senator Jon Tester (MT)
  • Senator Richard Durbin (IL)

  Republican Subcommittee Members

  • Senator Lamar Alexander (Ranking) (TN)
  • Senator Thad Cochran (MS)
  • Senator Mitch McConnell (KY)
  • Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX)
  • Senator Richard Shelby (AL)
  • Senator Susan Collins (ME)
  • Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK)
  • Senator Lindsey Graham (SC)

 

2012-06-06

In a stunning move late in the evening on June 5, Congress approved a budget amendment that would prohibit the Department of Energy from enforcing showerhead flow standards.

The amendment, proposed by Congressman Schweikert from Arizona, was passed in a late night vote on HR 5325,  the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2013.  Click here for a PDF of the amendment.

It is clear that this amendment would effectively prevent any enforcement against illegal showerheads being manufactured or imported into the US.  This is a disastrous turn of events for the water efficiency community, who has been working diligently for years to ensure uniform compliance with federal law. 

But we still have a chance.  The bill now goes to the Senate, where there is a great opportunity to defeat this amendment in its present form.  Please contact your Senator and share your views on this important subject. 

The Alliance will continue to keep you informed as we learn more.  Stay tuned.

 

Here is a link to the original Alliance for Water Efficiency article: http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org/alert-hr5325.aspx