Tell Congress – Don’t Cut Funding for Water Infrastructure!
Contact Your Representative and Tell them to Restore SRF Funding!
“The House Appropriations Committee voted 33R-27D on July 19 for a bill that will catastrophically cut water infrastructure spending and set back the progress this industry has made over the last two years. This ill-advised legislation is now heading to the floor of the full House of Representatives for a vote ahead of the September 30th deadline to avoid a government shutdown. As it currently stands, the House Fiscal Year 2024 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies bill would cut $2 billion from the EPA’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) and leave many other critical water infrastructure programs underfunded – or even unfunded entirely. Cutting funding for these vital infrastructure programs should be unthinkable for Congress. Two years ago, Congress and the President recognized these fragile and antiquated systems our industry rebuilds or restores required new resources and provided them in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. If Congress goes through with these cuts, many American communities will continue to be at risk. Every day, a water main breaks every two minutes somewhere in America, contributing to a loss of six million gallons of safe drinking water every day. Recent EPA estimates put the combined drinking water and wastewater needs at more than $1 trillion over the next twenty years. Our industry badly needs every penny it can get to build, rehabilitate, and restore essential water infrastructure systems that meet modern standards. While this bill is just one part of the formal appropriations process, we all have good reasons to be concerned. Nothing is ever certain in Washington, and our hard-fought gains in the 2021 infrastructure bill could be compromised if this House bill goes through with these ill-advised cuts intact. Please take a moment to send our pre-written letter to your Member of Congress and urge them to restore full funding for water and wastewater infrastructure in the annual appropriations bills. If you have time, please add your personal experience of using SRF and other federal grant/loan programs to repair, build, or restore your community’s water or wastewater systems. It will only take a moment, but will directly benefit the health and well-being of your community, company, and country. If you have time, please CALL your Representative’s office after sending our letter. You can look up your Representative’s contact information at https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member. Thank you for taking action!”
– NUCA National
