Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - March 15, 2002
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March 15, 2002
AMSA Testifies Before House Transportation Subcommittee
House, Senate to Mark Up Key Water Infrastructure Bills
Both the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) and the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committees are poised to mark up their respective infrastructure bills next week. The T&I Committee is scheduled to mark up the "Water Quality Financing Act of 2002" (H.R. 3930) on March 20 and the EPW Committee is scheduled to mark up its bill — S.1961 — on March 21.Patrick T. Karney, Director of the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, testified on behalf of AMSA on H.R. 3930 on March 13 at a T&I subcommittee hearing. Karney applauded H.R. 3930 for increasing the clean water state revolving fund's (SRF) authorization level to $20 billion and for containing a grant set-aside provision for appropriated funds above $1.4 billion. Karney stated that AMSA believes that public private partnerships, the development of asset management programs and long-term rate structure plans are important components to solving our infrastructure challenges, adding, however, that H.R. 3930's provisions making such programs prerequisites to receiving SRF funds may discourage SRF applicants. Karney also said that "AMSA encourages the Committee to give states the broad discretion they need to prioritize SRF funding based on a number of criteria, including the mitigation of environmental and public health risks, in addition to helping disadvantaged communities."
AMSA's recommended modifications to H.R. 3930 are detailed in Karney's testimony at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/advocacy/testimony/3-13-02testimony.cfm as well as in Legislative Alert 02-02, which was sent to all members earlier today and is available at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/legalrts/la02-3.cfm. AMSA is preparing a letter of initial support for the bill for inclusion in a Dear Colleague letter from T&I members to garner broad House support for the bill as it moves from markup to a full floor vote.
Similarly, AMSA's recommended modifications to S. 1961 were fully detailed in Legislative Alert 02-02, available at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/legalrts/la02-2.cfm. Arguably, the two infrastructure bills differ most significantly in that H.R. 3930 contains a mandatory grant set-aside program as well as less onerous requirements for loan applicants. AMSA thanks its membership for their efforts on behalf of the wastewater infrastructure funding initiative and will continue to keep the membership fully apprised of the progress of this important legislation.
Join Us in Baltimore for AMSA's Next Asset Management Workshop
AMSA's second Asset Management Workshop, Managing Public Infrastructure Assets to Minimize Cost and Maximize Performance, will be held in Baltimore, Md., on April 4-5. Registration is limited to 100 participants and AMSA's special rate at the Wyndham Baltimore Hotel expires March 18, so call the hotel now at 410/752-1100. The workshops provide a detailed overview of the financial advantages of a strong asset management program through the use of specially designed interactive presentations and practical case studies based on real-world experience. Register for the workshop now at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/meetings/02regwork/.