April 14, 2009 05:30 PM UTC

Coffman Loves Him Some Low-Flow Toilets

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Denver Post reports:

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman on Monday unveiled a proposal to give tax breaks to people who buy water-saving toilets, sprinkler systems and other items for their houses.

Coffman said he hopes the proposed credit, which was formally introduced earlier this month and has bipartisan support in Congress, will spur a greater culture of conservation in Colorado. He noted the state faces an estimated 630,000-acre-foot water-supply shortfall by 2030. One acre-foot could serve the needs of about eight people for a year.

“This legislation will help conserve one of our most precious resources,” said Coffman, an Aurora Republican. “Conservation has got to be our first line of defense in our ability to meet our future water demand.”

Dubbed the Water Accountability Tax Efficiency Reinvestment Act, the measure would provide a tax credit equal to 30 percent of the cost of each purchased item bearing the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense label. WaterSense products, including toilets, faucets and sprinkler systems, are at least 20 percent more efficient than average ones.

The credit amount would be capped at $1,500 per year.

Obviously a fine idea. Why doesn’t Doug Lamborn ever come up with anything noncontroversial and feel-good like this? No love until that whole Mount Democrat/Republican Mountain switcheroo thing is resolved, we guess.