Trump Infrastructure Plan Misses the Mark

ANN ARBOR, MICH (March 30, 2018) - Today President Trump is traveling to Richfield, Ohio (outside of Cleveland), to discuss his infrastructure plan. A top priority of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is to increase federal investments in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in the region. More than $179 billion over the next 20 years is needed to meet clean water goals in the eight-state region of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Below is an on-the-record statement from Todd Ambs, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “The Trump Administration’s infrastructure plan misses the mark. It places the financial burden on state and local governments and jettisons clean water and other environmental protections. It puts up modest sums of federal money over 10 years—and asks others to do the real work of raising real dollars.  Incentives in the plan are geared toward the privatization of water infrastructure – where decisions can be made based on financial gain rather than public health. The administration’s plan is simply a non-starter. “We look forward to working with the U.S. Congress to put in place an infrastructure plan that helps local communities meet their clean water goals, while making water affordable for everyone. This can include providing more grants, as opposed to loans, as well as helping utilities implement water affordability programs that help people afford for their water bills so that they are never in danger of having their water shut off. At the end of the day, we need a bi-partisan infrastructure package that works for people, communities, businesses, and the Great Lakes.”