Bill > S1888

Introduced Session

This bill, to be known as the "Clean Water Innovation Challenge Act," would establish, in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), a two-year program to provide grants for the development and promotion of innovative drinking water supply and wastewater infrastructure projects that would improve the quality and functioning of the State's publicly-owned drinking water supply and wastewater systems. Grants would be made available to individuals, businesses, business incubation facilities, not-for-profit corporations, and public and private institutions of higher education to develop and promote innovative technologies that may be used in pilot or demonstration projects at publicly-owned drinking water supply and wastewater systems, where appropriate, throughout the State to improve the quality and functioning of those systems. An upgrade or improvement to existing infrastructure would not qualify for a grant unless it is part of a pilot or demonstration project implementing an innovative new technology. The bill would appropriate up to $20 million annually from the societal benefits charge (commonly referred to as the "Clean Energy Fund") for the purpose of awarding grants pursuant to the bill. The total amount of grants funded in each year of the two-year program would not exceed $20 million, and the amount of each grant awarded would be determined by the DEP based on the proposals for innovative technologies it receives and the number of drinking water supply or wastewater systems at which each innovative technology may be implemented as a pilot or demonstration project. This bill is a "call to action" to form a public-private partnership to help solve one of the most important environmental problems facing the State, i.e., the decay of its critical infrastructure that provides drinking water and treats wastewater for the health and welfare of the State, its citizens, and the environment. The program is intended to assist publicly-owned drinking water supply and wastewater facilities that are thinking about the future and are looking for better, affordable, and cleaner ways to clean, conserve, and deliver water.

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Troy Singleton (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee (on 02/15/2018)