NEWS

Senators Announce $19.5 Billion Legislation For Water Infrastructure

• 05.05.2020
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 April 29, 2020

By Peter Chawaga

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee has announced dual pieces of draft legislation that could result in $19.5 billion of investment into the country’s drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure.

The bills are known as “America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020” and the “Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020” and both are positioned as responses to the Trump Administration’s request for new infrastructure legislation once the coronavirus crisis has subsided.

America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 is aimed at increasing water storage, bolstering flood protection, and repairing wastewater systems, among other initiatives, with $17 billion authorized for new projects.

The Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 calls for $2.5 billion to reauthorize the Safe Drinking Water Act emergency fund, which can be called upon by communities across the country when they’re confronted with dangerous water issues, and $300 million toward the elimination of contaminants, like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

“[Republican Committee Chairman John] Barrasso and top EPW Democrat Tom Carper (Del.) announced the legislation together in a statement, which said that the bills will build upon the committee’s bipartisan 2018 water infrastructure legislation,” The Hill reported. “Carper said in the statement that the new legislation ‘would improve projects’ resiliency to extreme weather events, increase the transparency and accountability of federally-funded projects and ensure that every community can benefit from federal funding and support — especially the smaller, rural and vulnerable communities that have been disregarded for far too long.”

The legislation builds on America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, which passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 99 to one and was signed into law by President Trump in October 2018.

“Both of these draft bills build on the bipartisan success of America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018,” according to an announcement from EPW. “[America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018] was the most sweeping infrastructure legislation to be considered last Congress. The bipartisan water infrastructure legislation increased water storage, authorized federal funding for water projects, reduced flood risks, and improved drinking water systems.”

With Congress and the world focused on the spread of coronavirus, it’s unlikely these pieces of legislation will move much further than the draft stage for the foreseeable future. But if and when they become law, several pain points within the drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure pictures could find some relief.

To read more about how the country’s utilities pay for infrastructure, visit Water Online’s Funding Solutions Center.