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February 16, 2001

WIN Capitol Hill Briefing Draws Standing-Room-Only Crowd
On February 13, the Water Infrastructure Network's (WIN) latest report, Water Infrastructure Now: Recommendations for Clean and Safe Water in the 21st Century (WINow) was released to a standing-room-only crowd at a press briefing on Capitol Hill.

Detroit Mayor and President of the National League of Cities, Dennis Archer, introduced the WINow report, which calls for a five-year, $57 billion federal investment in drinking water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure to replace aging pipes, upgrade treatment systems, and continue to protect public health and the environment. The report also urges Congress to create a long-term, sustainable, and reliable source of federal funding for clean and safe water.

The WINow report states that the funding increase is urgently needed to help close a $23 billion per year gap between infrastructure needs and current spending. Recommendations in the report include:

  • Authorizing a variety of financing mechanisms, such as grants, loans, loan subsidies and credit assistance;
  • Focusing on critical "core" water and wastewater infrastructure needs and nonpoint source pollution;
  • Streamlining the federal and state administration of infrastructure funds and adequately financing state programs;
  • Establishing a new program for technology and management innovation to reduce costs, prolong the life of America’s water infrastructure, and improve productivity; and,
  • Providing expanded, targeted technical assistance to communities most in need.

The press briefing featured remarks by Congressmen John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), House Water Infrastructure Caucus (WIC) Co-Chair; WIC members, Sherwood L. Boehlert (R-N.Y.) and Peter A. DeFazio ((D-Ore.), as well as Senator George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio). William B. Schatz, AMSA Board Member and General Counsel for Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cleveland, Ohio, represented the positions of AMSA and the wastewater treatment community during the briefing.

"The Water Infrastructure Now report will serve as a legislative road map, a template as we begin the task of drafting WATER-21," said Congressman Boehlert. "Only through close collaboration with the diverse interests represented by the Water Infrastructure Network, can we hope to construct legislation that addresses the diverse water infrastructure challenges facing our nation."

Over 1,500 copies of the report already have been delivered to Members of Congress, the 50 Governors, President George W. Bush, EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and others in the Bush cabinet, various mayors, and the AMSA membership, via Legislative Alert 01-02.

AMSA is urging its members to meet with their Congressional delegations and state and local officials to gain support for the WIN effort. An electronic version of the report is available for downloading on AMSA's web site at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org, and additional copies are available from the National Office, phone: 202/833-2672 or e-mail: info@amsa-cleanwater.org.