Quarterly Report - 3rd Qtr 2013

Congressional Visits Scorecard:

(Currently on record, 2013): 1) Fluidmaster: Assembly Woman Diana Harkey (CA) in March, 2013; 2) Delta Faucet Co: Congresswoman Susan Brooks (IN) in July, 2013; and 3) InSinkErator: Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI) in August, 2013

Governance:

  • Proposed change to PMI By-Laws to shorten terms and reduce the number of Board members to streamline and increase effectiveness, per ‘Best Practices.’ Membership vote scheduled for Fall Conference.
  • Leadership Orientation held for New PMI leaders to streamline the process
  • PMI SAC-vetted new Board candidate per new nomination procedure

Advocacy/Outreach:

  • 11 PMI member company CEOs participated in the inaugural PMI Executive Washington D.C. Fly-In Wednesday, September 11, visiting nearly 30 congressional offices in over 10 states. Among the talking points: simply replacing old, water-intensive plumbing fixtures with water-efficient ones saves more than 3 billion gallons of water a day.
  • The CEO- proposed “DID YOU KNOW” series was announced via Twitter on September 27th to begin October 3rd.
  • Weekly sound bites on the importance and contributions of plumbing industry through RSS Feed, Twitter, Linked-in and Facebook
  • Continuing proactive investigation: How Low Can We Go and How Do We Know. (PMI is looking at impact and limits to flow-rate reduction; unintended consequences and research to back up our claims).
  • Outreach continues to USA water utility districts to strengthen relationship.
  • Designed new mobile App now in Beta testing, to be launched October 4th as a way to facilitate communications with policy makers, PMI members and prospects.
  • PMI CEO together with ASPE, AWE, IAPMO and WQA met with representatives of the Asia Saving Water Council (ASWC) to compare Best Practices and tour green facilitates throughout Chicago.
  • Social Media: PMI’s Twitter activity praised in articles in both Plumbing Engineer and The Wholesaler magazines; Safe Plumbing invited to guest blog on a water damage restoration company’s blog via Facebook; developed a monthly score card to highlight progress: Followers (2nd to 3rd quarter): Twitter PMI ?90%, SP ?54%; LinkedIn PMI ?14%, SP ?17%
  • Issued four press releases with three known pickups by: Mechanical Hub, Bath & Kitchen Pro eNews, and Plumbing Engineer; Contractor Magazine also picked up the PMI Conference schedule and added it to their official industry calendar.
  • Contractor Magazine quotes PMI’s Barbara C. Higgens on the importance of retrofits in saving water in an article on infrastructure issues.

Federal Lobbyist Report:

  • PMI CEO/Executive Director and PMI Members met with EPA’s Office of WaterSense on the WaterSense budget and priorities, upcoming marketing campaigns for WaterSense, retrofits, and the use of the title WaterSense Premium – July 2013
  • PMI CEO/Executive Director and PMI Washington lobbyist participated in meetings with the American Water Works Association, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and National Association of Counties with the water savings through retrofits message and promoted the importance of using WaterSense products in rebate programs.
  • PMI sent a letter to key Senate offices in opposition to Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) amendment to the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013 which would repeal the national plumbing efficiency product standards developed as part the 1992 Energy Policy Act. The amendment was not voted on since the bill was pulled from the Senate floor. Sept 2013
  • PMI Washington office worked with IAPMO and AWE in developing a bipartisan budget neutral amendment sponsored by Sens. Brown (D-OH) and Kirk (R-IL) on improving water efficiency in federal buildings to the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2013. The amendment was not voted on since the bill was pulled from the Senate floor to move to debate over the budget. July-Sept 2013
  • PMI’s Technical Director and the PMI Washington Office participated in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Public Meeting on Test Procedures for Showerheads, Faucets, Water Closets, Urinals, and Commercial Prerinse Spray Valves - July 2013

California Lobbyist Report:

  • Continued participation in the industry Green Chemistry Alliance and provided guidance and clarity to PMI Members on the newly-adopted, precedential state Safer Consumer Product Alternative regulations applicable to priority products sold, offered for sale, distributed, supplied or manufactured in California
  • Advocated PMI’s position as the California Energy Commission pursues a pre-regulatory stakeholder process towards news appliance efficiency regulations applicable to faucets, toilets and urinals.
  • Lobbied PMI’s opposition to AJR 30, a resolution to memorialize the Congress and the President to not enact the federal Chemical Safety Improvement Act (S. 1009) in its current form.
  • Ensured PMI’s interests were protected as the Legislature concluded the first year of the 2013-2014 Legislative Session on September 13, with developments on 115 individual measures being tracked.
  • Proposed laws address issues ranging from water-conserving plumbing fixtures, to water treatment device approvals, recycled water, and water delivery infrastructure, to Proposition 65 notice reform.
  • Advocated in support of a decision by the Department of Public Health Department for a reasonable Primary Drinking Water Standard for Hexavalent Chromium.
  • Represented PMI and its members at the state Office of Health Hazard Assessment at its July 30 public pre-regulatory workshop on the content of a regulation that would address Proposition 65 warnings.
  • Provided updates to assist PMI members in complying with the state’s CalRecycle Rigid Plastic Packaging Container Program.

Technical:

  • Submitted written comments to the DOE regarding their supplemental rulemaking on test procedures; encouraged retaining current policies by only requiring performance to ANS; comments were shared with PMI Allied Member certifiers to encourage their support.
  • Worked with the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH) to draft and submit letters objecting to both the ban on pressure compensating valves in Quebec and efforts by Natural Resource Canada’s proposal to mandate water efficiency levels in the National Plumbing Code without industry participation or review.
  • Completed a draft analysis of water usage by water closets, urinals, faucets and showerheads as a basis for quantifying the potential savings of early retirement/early replacement programs. The analysis will incorporate other products and continue as a work-in-process for future use.

Fall Conference:

  • 74 registered with 22 first time attendees and 2 prospective members.

Industry Coalitions and Outreach:

  • NAM: National Association of Manufacturers- Council of Manufacturing Associations 2013 Summer Leadership Conference in Traverse City, MI

o PMI was featured in discussion of Best-Practices for Board selection/orientation and Strategic Advisory Council

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara C. Higgens


PMI CEO/Executive Director