Search

Clean Water Advocacy Newsroom

Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - NACWA in the News

House Panel Endorses Cutting Budget for Sewer Loan Program

May 5 -- A House subcommittee has released a fiscal year 2007 budget proposal for the Environmental Protection Agency that includes reducing new funds for a revolving loan program to pay for upgrading the nation´s sewer systems.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies on May 4 endorsed a budget put forth by the Bush administration that would trim funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Program from the current $887 million to $688 million.

"These cuts remain untenable given studies by EPA, the Congressional Budget Office, the Government Accountability Office and the Water Infrastructure Network estimating a water infrastructure funding gap exceeding $300 billion over the next 20 years," the National Association of Clean Water Agencies said in a statement released by spokesman Adam Krantz.

NACWA wants full funding maintained for the revolving loan fund and is calling for passage of the Clean Water Trust Act of 2005, which would create a clean water trust fund ensuring a source of future funding for upgrading the nation´s sewer systems.

NACWA is a national trade association representing the nation´s publicly owned wastewater treatment utilities.