Unprecedented Opportunity to Include Water Efficiency in Federal Legislation!

Today you have the opportunity to help secure – for the first time ever – water efficiency rebates in a major piece of federal legislation! The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 is a proposed bill designed to create jobs, promote energy security, save Americans money on utility bills and fight climate change by providing rebates for energy efficient retrofits. Since saving water does all of the above and so much more, a coalition of stakeholders has come together to urge the Senate to include water efficiency rebates in the bill. With limited time to influence the legislation, the Alliance for Water Efficiency is asking you to contact your Senator immediately and urge them to protect our rivers by supporting water efficiency!

The effort to include water efficiency in the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 is being spearheaded by the Alliance for Water Efficiency and the WATER Coalition, a diverse alliance of stakeholders promoting more efficient use of water.

Last week, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) proposed an amendment, the Wyden WaterSense Amendment, which will add provisions for WaterSense certified product retrofits to the bill. Because saving water saves energy – and creates jobs, protects our rivers, helps us prepare for climate change, saves money, etc. etc. – it only makes sense for a portion of funding in this bill to be allocated for water efficiency.

The Alliance for Water Efficiency has put together a webpage with links to a formal letter template (.doc), an informal email template (.doc) and other useful resources that will help you take action on this important issue.

Here’s a statement from the Alliance for Water Efficiency about including WaterSense provisions in the Home Star bill:

Please help us make a difference and for the first time have water efficiency incentives added to a major piece of federal legislation! The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 is a proposed bill designed to jump start job growth by providing short term incentives for residential energy efficiency improvements. Senator Ron Wyden (OR) is proposing the WYDEN WATERSENSE AMENDMENT, which will incorporate provisions for WaterSense product water efficiency retrofits in the Silver Star portion of the bill to match up with the energy efficiency retrofit provisions already in the bill.

The Alliance for Water Efficiency strongly urges you to immediately contact your Senators to send a clear message of support for including the WYDEN WATERSENSE AMENDMENT which adds WaterSense-certified products and services to the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010. This bill, with the WYDEN WATERSENSE AMENDMENT, would represent an historic opportunity to improve both water and energy efficiency, while stimulating job growth.

AWE is a leader in The WATER Coalition, a broad cross-section of plumbing and irrigation contractors, manufacturers and wholesalers, retailers, utilities, environmental groups, water efficiency organizations and real estate organizations working to encourage and support water efficiency retrofit programs such as U.S. EPA’s WaterSense program. The WATER Coalition's efforts focus on including a comprehensive package for a water efficiency retrofit program in the Home Star legislation. Senator Wyden’s amendment is our best shot to make this happen. We are now at the critical time in the legislative process with the Home Star bill expected to be "marked-up" before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM), within the next two weeks and certainly before the Memorial Day recess.

The current water efficiency proposal includes a two-tiered program that would provide a rebate for purchase and installation of WaterSense-certified plumbing and irrigation products. Consumers would receive a purchase cost rebate and there would also be a installation cost rebate where appropriate. We are working to better align the water efficiency provisions with the already agreed to energy efficiency retrofit language in the bill. While specifics of the amendment continue to be fine-tuned as this alert is being written, Senator Ron Wyden (OR) along with Senator Mark Udall (CO) are committed leaders in this effort on behalf of the water efficiency community.

This is an amazing opportunity to establish water efficiency provisions in federal legislation and secure funding in support of water efficiency. We ask you to act immediately by contacting your Senators today urging them to support a comprehensive Home Star bill that includes water efficiency by adding the WYDEN WATERSENSE AMENDMENT to the legislation.

Below, please find a link to a generic formal letter template, an informal e-mail message, and key talking points for your use when contacting your Senator and urging the support for WaterSense funding in the Home Star bill. Use the fourth and final link to aid in finding your Senator's contact information.

Thanks for supporting water efficiency!

Click here to access AWE’s resources for the Home Star bill.

Although the details of this amendment are still being worked out, it's important to contact your Senator today and urge them to support a comprehensive Home Star bill that includes water efficiency before its too late!

As the statement from the Alliance for Water Efficiency explains , the bill will be “marked up” in the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee, so if your Senator serves on this committee it is especially important to let them know you support this critical amendment. Some key Senators on the legislation include Sen. Ron Wyden from Oregon, Sen. Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico, Sen. Mark Udall from Colorado, Sen. Robert Menendez from New Jersey, Sen. Blanche Lincoln from Arkansas, Sen. Debbie Stabenow from Michigan and Sen. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska.

Below you can find some key talking points (.doc) from the Alliance for Water Efficiency that can be used to explain to your Senator why you support including water efficiency in the Home Star jobs bill:

• The Water Coalition represents widely diverse interests -- plumbing and irrigation contractors, union members, equipment manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, utilities, environmental groups, water efficiency organizations, and real estate organizations.

• The Water Coalition urges Congress to incorporate water efficiency incentives as part of the HOME STAR program and include HOME STAR in jobs legislation.

• HOME STAR is a proposed new program to create jobs by providing incentives for energy efficiency improvements in residential buildings. The HOME STAR program will act as a bridge to long‐term market development of existing industries and is designed to rapidly create jobs and reduce residential energy bills.

• HOME STAR would invest $6 billion in the form of incentives, matched by private investment, to generate three million home retrofits, 168,000 jobs, and support an American industry.

• The Water Coalition urges the Senate to add water efficiency to the HOME STAR proposal and to invest $500 million in WaterSense products incentives to create jobs, save water, and save energy.

• EPA’s WaterSense label certifies that a product will save water and perform well. The label is backed by third-party testing and independent certification to ensure that the product meets EPA’s stringent criteria for efficiency and performance.

• Incentives for WaterSense Create Jobs: Incentives for the purchase of WaterSense products and services can be deployed quickly to build consumer demand for WaterSense technology and create and retain jobs.

• WaterSense incentives will spur hiring by manufacturers that produce the products, wholesalers and retailers who sell the products, and the local contractors and construction workers who install these plumbing and irrigation products. The need for these incentives is clear.

• The jobs potential for investment in replacing plumbing fixtures is on the order of 18,000 jobs per billion dollars of direct investment.

• WaterSense incentives will help reverse the disturbing decline in construction-related jobs. Unemployment in construction-related jobs, including plumbing, is at an alarming 25%.

• The supply chain in the plumbing industry is poised to respond almost immediately to the increased consumer demand for WaterSense products.

• WaterSense Products Also Save Water and Energy and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions:

Disclosure: Mary Ann Dickinson, Executive Director of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, has been on River Network’s Board of Directors since 2008.