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Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - AMSA in the News

Industry, Environmental Groups Disappointed Over Omnibus Bill

Water professionals will get less funding for upgrades and projects as a result of the fiscal year (FY) 2005 budget that Congress passed Nov. 19. Congress approved an omnibus bill that authorizes $388 billion in spending, a 2 percent decrease from FY 2004. Funding was cut for several environmental programs. Overall, EPA received $8.1 billion, $299 million more than President Bush requested, but a decrease from FY 2004. However, Congress put an emphasis on state grants, particularly in safe drinking water. The Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund received $850 million, and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund got $1.1 billion, which President Bush requested. Funding for state environmental programs remained at FY 2004 levels with an appropriation of $1.2 billion. State and tribal assistance grants were cut to $3.6 billion, about $273 million less. Funding for ground water cleanups under Superfund remained at last year's level of $1.3 billion.

"We should be spending more to protect our water supply, not less," said Nancy Stoner, director of the Clean Water Project for Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). (Continued on p. 232)

The $279 million cut will cripple more than 500 projects that protect drinking water sources, treat sewage, clean up contaminated storm water and reduce animal waste flowing into water ways, she said.

Industry groups echoed environmental groups concerned over the budget. The $277 million cut in clean water funding shows that the nation's water quality does not require federal protection, said the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA). At least Congress did not make the cut more drastic, said Executive Director Ken Kirk.

"Without a long-term, sustainable federal commitment to clean water funding, communities will not be able to tackle the current backlog of capital replacements needed to meet mandates associated with controlling wet weather overflows or to improve the quality of water ways," he said.

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) is offsetting the lack of federal investment with a commitment to local utilities. AWWA has offered assistance to local elected officials to help them secure long-term funding for future growth and federal regulatory requirements, said AWWA Deputy Director Tom Curtis.

However, the federal government must determine how local governments should spend their limited capital funding.

"Officials must decide which is more important --homeland security and security measures or protecting against pollution. Then, they have to provide the funding for us to fix these problems. If both are important, then they should fund both," Curtis told CWR.

Other Agencies' Funding

Congress funded the Army Corps of Engineers and Interior Department (DOI) at $28 billion for water projects, which is $734.5 million more than FY 2004 and $49.6 million more than the president requested. Of that sum, the Bureau of Reclamation received $1 billion, including a commitment to western water infrastructure projects. That is about $40 million more than last year.

The Corps received $125 million more than FY 2004 for water projects. U.S. Geological Survey received about $11 million more with its $949 million appropriation. The omnibus bill provided $64 million for Everglades Restoration Project, which equals about $1 billion since 1993.

Overall, DOI received $10 billion, $140 million above FY 2004's appropriation and $17 million more than the president requested. Groups were silent on the Interior budget.