In coordination with the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), CalWEP is currently supporting a coalition letter to U.S. Senators opposing the SHOWER Act (H.R. 4593).
The SHOWER Act, recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, seeks to weaken the federal showerhead efficiency standard by allowing higher flow rates. CalWEP and AWE oppose this legislation because it would increase water and energy use, raise costs for customers, and undermine decades of state and local investments in water efficiency.
High-efficiency showerheads currently on the market perform well and are widely available at comparable cost to less efficient models. Independent testing shows that when performance issues occur, they are typically related to plumbing or maintenance conditions, not the federal efficiency standard. Weakening the standard would waste water without improving consumer experience.
In addition, the letter expresses support for the bipartisan Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act (S.857), which would eliminate federal taxation of water conservation rebates and better align water policy with long-standing federal treatment of energy efficiency incentives.
As the SHOWER Act advances to the U.S. Senate, coordinated engagement from California’s water community will be important. CalWEP encourages member agencies and partners to consider signing on to the coalition letter being organized by AWE.
Read the draft letter to Senator Padilla here.
If your organization is interested in signing on, please contact Pedro Pedroza at [email protected] for additional information.