Member Pipeline - Legislative - Alert (LA05-5)
To: Members & Affiliates,
Clean Water Funding Task Force, Legislative Policy CommitteeFrom: National Office Date: September 12, 2005 Subject: CLEAN WATER TRUST ACT OF 2005 Reference: LA05-5 Attachments:
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In early 2004, NACWA, through its Clean Water Funding Task Force, began to draft trust fund legislation that would create a dedicated, sustainable source of federal revenue to help the nation’s communities meet the goals of the Clean Water Act. Before the drafting process began, NACWA convened a series of meetings to receive input from a variety of stakeholder groups. The first legislative draft was distributed for review and comment in late 2004. After integrating many of the comments received from NACWA members, Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) organizations and environmental and conservation groups, a second draft was distributed for another round of comment on January 4, 2005. The draft was reviewed and discussed at the February 2005 meetings of the Association’s Clean Water Funding Task Force and Legislative Policy Committee during the NACWA 2005 Winter Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Several outstanding issues were subsequently resolved during a teleconference call of the Task Force and revisions were made to the second draft.The third draft of the bill, entitled the Clean Water Trust Act of 2005, was widely distributed and also discussed in May 2005 at NACWA’s 35th Anniversary Annual Meeting. During the review process, the activist community identified several issues in the fisheries title of the bill that required further discussion and clarification. NACWA initiated a dialogue among involved and interested parties to negotiate acceptable language, supportable by all.
Today, following 18 months of facilitated meetings and negotiations among stakeholder groups, NACWA is pleased to provide to you the final draft of the Clean Water Trust Act of 2005, along with a bill summary and a list of significant changes from the April 2005 draft. This proposed legislation will be sent to Capitol Hill where sponsors and co-sponsors will be added. NACWA anticipates introduction of the draft bill in the House and Senate before Congress adjourns this fall.
The Clean Water Trust Act of 2005
The Clean Water Trust Act of 2005 (Act) makes several important changes to how the federal government provides financial assistance to municipalities for clean water infrastructure. The bill creates the Clean Water Trust Fund to provide an assured source of funding to help meet the nation’s clean water infrastructure needs. The Trust Fund is funded at $36.75 billion over five years, and is dedicated to meeting a broad range of needs. The Act establishes a dedicated revenue source for the Trust Fund, consisting of an excise tax on flushable products and a reinstatement of the Corporate Environmental Income Tax. The Act establishes a new program to provide grants to local wastewater systems and increases funding to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s existing Clean Water State Revolving Fund program. Additionally, the bill establishes new programs for improving utility management, developing new technology and increases funding for research.
Finally, the Act established a new program to enhance fisheries habitat and improve public access to fisheries resources.The bill does not propose a formula for distribution of the funds to the states. Such formulas have generally been the prerogative of Congress to debate and formulate during the deliberative process.
NACWA Member Involvement
NACWA encourages its members to share this important proposed legislation with local, state and federal officials, as well as with interested local and state stakeholder groups. Members also are encouraged to meet with their congressional delegations and staff in their District and State offices to explain the importance of this legislation to the future integrity of the nation’s wastewater infrastructure.NACWA will be soliciting support for the Act from national, regional, state and local organizations and from individual citizens through the Clean Water America website (http://www.cleanwateramerica.org). Please direct organizations that wish to be listed as supporters of the draft bill to NACWA’s Lee Garrigan at 202/833-4655 or lgarrigan@nacwa.org.
The Clean Water Trust Act of 2005 and the projects being directed by the Clean Water Funding Task Force in support of the effort, will be discussed by NACWA members as one of the central themes of the 2005 Fall Strategic Leadership Retreat on September 19 – 20 in Washington, DC.
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