On March 16, House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairwoman Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced bipartisan legislation that would authorize $50 billion in direct infrastructure investment over five years in an effort to address America’s crumbling wastewater infrastructure and local water quality challenges.
The Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021 would significantly increase the amount of Federal assistance made available to States and communities through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) program—the primary source of Federal assistance for wastewater infrastructure construction—which has not been reauthorized by Congress since 1987.
The heart of the bill is $40 billion over five years for Clean Water SRFs. That program—which provides loans, not grants—has long been the main federal funding source for wastewater treatment projects. Besides the $40 billion for SRFs, the new proposal also would authorize $10 billion in water infrastructure grants.
That lawmakers are beginning to prioritize such aid is an outgrowth of the recent coronavirus pandemic as well as years of advocacy by WEF, other water associations, and grassroots advocacy by WEF members to Members of Congress.
Specifically, the bill:
- Authorizes $40 billion over five years in wastewater infrastructure investments through the Clean Water SRF, which provides low-interest loans, loan subsidizations, and grants to communities for wastewater infrastructure.
- Authorizes an additional $2 billion for grants to municipalities to capture, treat, or reuse sewer overflows or stormwater.
- Authorizes $2.5 billion in grants for States to implement State water pollution control programs.
- Provides $1 billion for Clean Water pilot programs for watershed-based efforts to address wet weather discharges, to promote stormwater best practices, to undertake integrated water resource management, and to increase climate resiliency.
- Authorizes $1 billion in grants for alternative water source projects, such as wastewater or stormwater reuse, to augment the existing water supplies.
- Provides $1 billion in Clean Water Act grants to municipalities to implement treatment standards for PFAS and other emerging contaminants.
- Provides $2.5 billion in wastewater infrastructure assistance to address the backlog of critical needs for Indian Tribes.
Chairman DeFazio said in a statement that if enacted, the new measure would reauthorize the SRF program for the first time in more than 30 years.
"We have the opportunity to invest in both rural and urban communities alike and ensure that no matter what Zip Code a person lives in, they will have access to clean, reliable and safe water," DeFazio said.
In addition, the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021 aims to create thousands of jobs in the construction and wastewater sectors, reduce the cost of constructing and maintaining that infrastructure, accelerate efforts to increase the resiliency of wastewater infrastructure, promote energy efficiency and water efficiency, reduce the potential long-term operation and maintenance costs of publicly-owned sewage treatment plants, and clarify requirements that American-made iron and steel be used for construction of wastewater infrastructure funded under the Clean Water Act, regardless of whether it is funded through the Clean Water SRF or other Clean Water infrastructure grant programs.
[View House committee's fact sheet on bill here; section-by-section summary here; and seven-page bill text here.]
Engineering News Record (3/16/21)
Roll Call (3/17/21)
