U.S. Senate Releases Business-As-Usual Budget Bills

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (November 12, 2021) – The U.S. Senate released its annual budget bills on Tuesday, providing status-quo funding for core Great Lakes and clean water programs and omitting more than $11 billion in House-backed supplemental investments to fix drinking water and sewage infrastructure and tackle chronic lead contamination.Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:“The Senate’s budget bills signal business as usual at a time when urgent threats to our drinking water and public health demand a more robust response. We urge Senate and House members, as they work to forge a budget compromise, to ensure that every person has access to clean, safe and affordable water by substantially boosting federal investments in clean water priorities that will accelerate progress in restoring the Great Lakes, protecting our drinking water, improving access to affordable water, safeguarding our public health, and bolstering the economy.”The U.S. Senate funding bills include:

• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Senate Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2021: $320 million – same as Fiscal Year 2020 enacted. House FY2021: Up to $335 million — $15 million increase from FY2020.
• Clean Water State Revolving Fund: Senate FY2021: $1,638,826,000 — no increase from FY2020. House FY2021: same.
• Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: Senate FY2021: $1,126,088,000 — no increase from FY2020. House: same.
• Small and Disadvantaged Communities program: Senate FY2021: $26.408 million — $1 million increase from FY2020. House FY2021: $26 million — $592,000 increase from FY2020.
• Lead testing in Schools program: Senate FY2021: $26.5 million — $500,000 increase from FY2020. House FY2021: $26,000,000 — no increase from FY2020.
• Reducing Lead in Drinking Water program: Senate FY2021: $21.511 million — $2 million increase from FY2020. House: $20 million — $489,000 increase from FY2020.
• 221 Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants: Senate FY2021: $32 million — 4 million increase from FY2020. House FY2021: $56,700,000 — $28.7 million increase.

The U.S. House has included the following emergency supplemental funding. The Senate has not included any emergency supplemental funding in its budget bills.

• Clean Water State Revolving Fund: $6.355 billion
• Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: $3.855 billion
• Lead Testing in Schools: $50 million
• Reducing Lead in Drinking Water: $500 million
• 221 Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants: $400 million