Plumbing Manufacturers Institute meets with key Congressional staff

– Urges support for the HomeStar/WaterSense consumer rebate and enactment of The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act –

The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI), as part of its second annual Legislative Advocacy Day, met with key staff on Capitol Hill from 15 states to discuss the importance of the plumbing manufacturing industry and seek immediate, bipartisan support for two legislative matters of importance to the industry. The two legislative issues included providing the nation with clean, safe drinking water and water-efficient plumbing products prior to the final adjournment of the 111th Congress. Specifically, PMI and its members urged the country’s leaders to expedite the passage of “The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act” and to support the HomeStar/WaterSense consumer rebate provisions within an energy bill.

“Clean Energy Jobs and Oil Company Accountability Act of 2010″ (S. 3663) is the energy bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate. It includes the HomeStar Retrofit Rebate title, which would encourage consumer demand for water-efficient products that are labeled in compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) WaterSense® program. As currently drafted, a homeowner could receive a rebate of $150 on the cumulative purchase of $300 for the purchase and the installation of WaterSense-labeled products.

“PMI strives to ensure that this rebate is available to homeowners regardless of whether they install the products themselves or choose to hire a contractor,” says PMI Executive Director Barbara C. Higgens. “Installation by either a homeowner or a contractor would protect and create jobs in the plumbing manufacturing sector, while delivering the desired water and energy savings.”

According to the EPA, at least 36 states will experience severe water shortages by 2013. The agency estimates that if every household had WaterSense-labeled products, the nation would save 3 trillion gallons of water and more than $17 billion per year. In addition, if just 1% of U.S. homes replaced older, inefficient toilets with WaterSense-labeled models, the country would save more than 38 million kWh of electricity, the equivalent of 43,000 households’ monthly electrical supply.

PMI was one of the earliest partners in the WaterSense program and its members’ products have earned the WaterSense label, demonstrating that the products have been consumer tested and reduce water consumption by at least 20%. “We are committed to protecting the future of our national and local water supply through safe, water-efficient plumbing products and practices,” says Higgens.

She adds, “That is why we also are proud to support the 0.25% standard for lead in the Safe Drinking Water Act. We have worked with Congress for several years to uniformly reduce the lead standard for pipes, pipe fittings and plumbing fittings to 0.25% across the nation, which is consistent with the current laws in California, Maryland and Vermont.”

Helping accomplish these goals, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the “Assistance, Quality and Affordability Act of 2010″ (AQUA – H.R. 5320) in July 2010. On Sept. 29, 2010, PMI’s work with the bipartisan leadership of the U.S. Senate Environment & Public Works Committee spurred the introduction of “The Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act” (S. 3874). This freestanding bill directly matches the 0.25% lead provision already approved the House’s AQUA bill. The EPA, in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act, allows faucets to be sold in the U.S. with a level of lead that does not leach more than an amount equivalent to a teaspoon of water in an Olympic-size pool.

Aging infrastructures, including pipe and plumbing infrastructure components, are the main contributors of trace amounts of lead in today’s U.S. water supply. In 2003, the EPA estimated it would cost $276.8 billion and take more than 20 years to upgrade. PMI also supports legislation pending before Congress to address this infrastructure need.

PMI and its members discussed the urgency of these legislative issues with government leaders immediately following the PMI Fall Meeting held Oct. 3-6 in Washington, D.C. The advocacy efforts and Fall Meeting on Capitol Hill actively demonstrate PMI’s mission:
* To promote the water efficiency, health, safety, quality and environmental sustainability of plumbing products, while maximizing consumer choice and value in a fair and open marketplace.
* To provide a forum for the exchange of information and industry education.
* To represent openly the member’s interests and advocate for sound environmental and public health policies in the regulatory/legislative processes.
* To enhance the plumbing industry’s growth and expansion.

Delivering on this mission, PMI’s educational website, SafePlumbing.org, presents news and information about clean, safe drinking water and water efficiency. This convenient, online resource gives lawmakers, journalists, industry professionals and homeowners fast access to research findings, scientific data and industry facts.
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Filed under: ASSOCIATION NEWS, Green Goals