Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - NACWA in the News
Senate committee OKs bill to provide funds for wastewater upgrades
July 21 -- The Senate Environment Committee on July 20 approved legislation that would provide $38 billion over five years for improving the nation´s water and wastewater systems. The bill next moves on to the full Senate for consideration.
The money would go into revolving funds that would loan money to
local water and wastewater districts needing to upgrade and modernize their
facilities to meet Clean Water Act standards. Money also could be awarded as
grants.
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the committee chairman, along with Sens. James
Jeffords, I-Vt., Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., and Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.,
sponsored the Water Infrastructure Financing Act.
"The funding authorized by this bill is critical to helping communities repair
crumbling infrastructure," Sen. Jeffords said.
"There are three major estimates of the size of the need for water
infrastructure, which range from $200 billion to $500 billion over the next 20
years," he said. "It is imperative that we take care of this looming problem."
Ken Kirk, executive director of the National Association of Clean Water
Agencies, commended the sponsoring senators for "taking the lead in addressing
the most important infrastructure challenge facing our nation."
Kirk expressed concern about whether the federal government would be able to
provide the authorized funding should the measure pass, and he called for the
federal government to create a clean water trust fund to ensure its
availability.
NACWA is a national trade association representing publicly owned wastewater
treatment utilities.