42 U.S.C. § 16198 — Smart energy and water efficiency pilot program

(a) Definitions. (1) "Eligible entity" means (A) a utility, (B) a municipality, (C) a water district, (D) an Indian Tribe or Alaska Native village, or (E) any other authority providing water, wastewater, or water reuse services. (2) "Smart energy and water efficiency pilot program" (or "pilot program") means the program established under (b). (b) Smart energy and water efficiency pilot program. (1) The Secretary must establish and carry out this pilot program under this section. (2) Its purpose is to award grants to eligible entities that demonstrate unique, advanced, or innovative technology that will (A) improve the net energy balance of water, wastewater, and water reuse systems; (B) do so in a way that helps communities across the country conserve water, save energy, and reduce costs; (C) support new, innovative processes and established advanced automated systems giving real-time energy and water data; and (D) improve energy-water conservation, quality, and predictive maintenance using internet-connected technology, including sensors, intelligent gateways, and hardware-embedded security. (3) Project selection. (A) The Secretary must make competitive, merit-reviewed grants to not less than 3, but not more than 5, eligible entities. (B) In selecting recipients, the Secretary must consider (i) energy and cost savings; (ii) how unique, commercially viable, and reliable the technology is; (iii) how much the project integrates next-generation sensors, software, analytics, and management tools; (iv) the anticipated cost-effectiveness of the project through measurable energy savings, water savings or reuse, and avoided infrastructure costs; (v) whether the technology can be deployed in a variety of geographic regions and applied at scales from small towns to large cities, including Tribal communities; (vi) whether the technology has already been successfully deployed elsewhere; (vii) whether the technology was made by a manufacturer based in the United States; and (viii) whether the project will be completed in 5 years or less. (C) Applications. (i) An eligible entity seeking a grant must submit an application at the time and in the manner, and containing the information, the Secretary requires. (ii) The application must include, at a minimum, (I) a description of the project; (II) a description of the technology to be used; (III) the anticipated results, including energy and water savings; (IV) a comprehensive budget; (V) the names of the project's lead organization and any partners; (VI) the number of users the project will serve; (VII) how the proposal meets performance measures the Secretary sets; and (VIII) any other information the Secretary needs to review and select a grant recipient. (4) Administration. (A) Within 1 year of December 27, 2020, the Secretary must select grant recipients. (B) Evaluations. (i) The Secretary must carry out an annual evaluation of each funded project against performance measures and benchmarks the Secretary develops. (ii) In each evaluation, the Secretary must (I) evaluate the project's progress and impact, and (II) assess how well the project is meeting the pilot program's goals. (C) On a grant recipient's request, the Secretary must provide technical and policy assistance. (D) The Secretary must make available to the public, through the internet and other appropriate means, (i) a copy of each evaluation, and (ii) a description of any best practices identified from those evaluations. (E) The Secretary must submit to Congress a report containing the results of each evaluation. (c) Authorization of appropriations. Congress authorized $15,000,000 to carry out this section, available until spent.