AMWA joined three other water and wastewater associations this month in endorsing House of Representatives legislation that would extend EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program through 2024.
The groups formally expressed support the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Reauthorization Act, legislation that was introduced in the House late last year as H.R. 4492. The bill would reauthorize WIFIA for five years beyond its currently scheduled expiration in 2019, while doubling EPA’s FY18 WIFIA authorization from $45 million to $90 million, and ramping up authorized funding levels to $140 million by 2024.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) sponsored the bill in the House, while Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) is expected to introduce a Senate version of the legislation in the coming weeks. The House bill has the backing of several Democratic cosponsors, and the upcoming Senate version is also expected to have Democratic support.
In addition to extending WIFIA, H.R. 4492 would give EPA new authority to work with the Army Corps of Engineers to consider project applications intended to address flood damage reduction; hurricane and storm impacts; and coastal, inland harbor or intercoastal waterway navigation improvements. The existing WIFIA statute makes these types of projects eligible for funding through a separate Army Corps-administered WIFIA program, but the Corps has taken no steps to make this program operational.
AMWA’s letter on the bill said the measures would “solidify the future” of WIFIA, and position the program for “continued future success.” Supporters have indicated that the proposal could potentially be attached to Water Resources Development Act legislation that Congress is expected to consider this year.