On April 9, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler testified before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change, which again seeks deep cuts to the agency’s budget and staffing levels.
Wheeler defended $300 million cut to state water grants, touting newer loan programs. During the hearing, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized the cuts, saying communities in their districts needed more funds.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blasted the White House’s proposal to slash the EPA’s water infrastructure program known as the State Revolving Funds by $300 million in FY 2020. That program offers grants to states to allow them to give low-interest loans to water utilities to build new facilities or upgrade existing ones.
But Wheeler said newer water infrastructure programs, which would get a boost under the Trump budget proposal, could offer better support to states to solve drinking water issues. This includes the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program, which the budget request would increase by 25 percent, which Wheeler said offers “more innovative ways” to fund projects.
“We want to see if there’s a different way to address some of these water problems,” Wheeler added. He also pointed to new bipartisan legislation, America’s Water Infrastructure Act passed in 2018, as a way to help state water projects. The Trump budget proposal would provide $82 million to begin implementing that legislation. (Bloomberg BNA, 4/9/19)
WEF and others in the water sector support funding for both the SRF and the WIFIA programs and are actively seeking an increase in the FY2020 Clean Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF) to $2.8 billion and $1.3 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF) - the fully authorized amount, as well as funding for WIFIA at the fully authorized level of $50 million in FY2020. In addition, WEF is seeking $2.5 billion for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Water and Wastewater Loans and Grants and $100 million for Title XVI-WIIN competitive grants, $20 million for the National Priorities Water Research Grant Program and at least level funding for the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay, as well as other important programs.
Wheeler also recently appeared before the Appropriations subcommittee for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies in both the House and Senate to the defend the Administration’s FY 2020 budget request.
Watch a recording of the Energy and Commerce hearing.
Read Wheeler’s testimony.
