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House holds hearing on Administration's proposed budget cuts for EPA
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 17, 2005 -- As the House Transportation & Infrastructure
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment held a hearing yesterday on the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) fiscal year 2006 budget, it's clear
that proposed cuts to the agency's Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
program are untenable and the federal government needs to commit to long-term
clean water funding, stated a national group representing municipal sewage
authorities.
The Bush Administration has proposed to dramatically cut clean water funding by
seeking to slash EPA's budget for fiscal year (FY) 2006 by $500 million (from
$8.1 billion to $7.6 billion). The vast majority of this reduction would be
achieved by a proposed cut of about $360 million (from $1.09 billion to $730
million) to the Agency's CWSRF program. The CWSRF, a loan program that helps
local communities repair and replace aging treatment plants, has been the
primary source of federal support for clean water infrastructure projects since
its creation in 1987.
Studies by EPA, the Congressional Budget Office, the Government Accountability
Office, and the Water Infrastructure Network estimate a water infrastructure
funding gap exceeding $300 billion over the next 20 years. Given this mounting
funding gap, the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) said in a
news release, that it believes it's untenable for the federal government to cut
support for clean water in America. AMSA is urging Congress to support both full
funding for the CWSRF in the short-term, and a dedicated trust fund to guarantee
clean and safe water in America for the long-term.
"This proposed cut is the wrong measure at the wrong time," stated AMSA
executive director Ken Kirk. "Without a long-term, sustainable
federal-state-local partnership communities will not be able to tackle essential
capital replacement projects needed to meet federal Clean Water Act mandates and
improve the quality of the nation's waters."
Facing similar shortfalls in funding for critical national infrastructure,
Congress has established trust funds supported by dedicated revenue sources.
Congressionally established trust funds for highway infrastructure ($30
billion/year) and airport infrastructure ($8 billion/year) provide a strong
precedent for moving forward with a similar trust fund for clean and safe water.
"Clean and safe water is certainly as important to the nation's economic and
public health as our highways and airports," said Kirk. AMSA, together with
other stakeholder groups, will work aggressively with Congress and the
Administration -- both to ensure full funding for the CWSRF and to establish a
trust fund dedicated to clean and safe water in America.
AMSA (www.amsa-cleanwater.org) is a national trade association based in the
nation's capital that represents hundreds of publicly owned wastewater treatment
utilities across the country. AMSA members serve the majority of the sewered
population in the United States and collectively treat and reclaim over 18
billion gallons of wastewater every day. AMSA members are environmental
practitioners dedicated to protecting and improving the nation's waters and
public health.