Momentous Occasion: $50 Billion Water Infrastructure Bill Advances in House
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (June 10, 2021)—In a win for clean water, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is pleased to see that the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has passed the Water Quality and Protection and Job Creation Act out of committee, with a bipartisan vote of 42 to 25. The bill provides $50 billion over the course of five years to help communities with clean water infrastructure.“This bill is a much-needed step forward in addressing our region’s failing water infrastructure that is threatening the health of our communities,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We are grateful for the leadership of Reps. Pete DeFazio (D-Ore.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). “We urge the full House to pass and fund this bill so that we can get to work addressing our water infrastructure crisis, revitalizing the economy, and ensuring safe, clean, and affordable water is available to all.”H.R. 1915, if passed, would:
reauthorize EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund at $8 billion annually (an increase of $6.4 billion);
reauthorize EPA’s Sec. 221 Sewer Overflow and Storm Reuse Municipal Grants at $400 million annually (an increase of $175 million);
reauthorize EPA’s Sec. 106 State Water Pollution Control Grants at $500 million annually (an increase of $270 million);
authorize three new programs:
an EPA Emerging Contaminants grants program at $200 million annually;
an EPA Household Wastewater Grant program at $50 million annually; and
a study analyzing the historical distribution of federal wastewater infrastructure funds to rural, economically disadvantaged, and Tribal communities.
On June 1, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition submitted a letter of support for the proposed amendment to the bill, emphasizing clean water needs for the Great Lakes region while also prioritizing climate resilience and investments in our most vulnerable communities.
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 160 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.
CONTACT: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113