AMWA on April 13 wrote to Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) in support of three bills he recently introduced in response to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. AMWA endorsed Sen. Cardin’s legislation after gathering feedback from the association’s Legislative and Regulatory Committees, and one of the proposals has since been added to the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) reauthorization bill that was introduced on April 25.
The three bills endorsed by AMWA are:
- S. 2588, the “Grants and Education To Tackle Homeowner Exposure to Lead Ensuring America Drinks Only from Unpolluted Taps Act” (GET THE LEAD OUT Act), which would authorize $300 million over five years to help communities and low-income homeowners finance the replacement of lead service lines and interior home plumbing components;
- S. 2583, the “Firm, Unwavering National Dedication to Water Act” (FUND Water Act), which would reauthorize the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund programs for five years; and
- S. 2586, the “Thorough Evaluation of State Testing to Kick-start Investigations before Damage is Suffered Act” (TEST KIDS Act), which would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate clusters of elevated blood levels in children reported by states.
AMWA’s letter to Senator Cardin said the three bills “represent important and effective steps that will help communities take action to improve water infrastructure.” The association has not taken a formal position on another bill from Sen. Cardin (S. 2587) that would require EPA to finalize revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule within 180 days, though AMWA has spoken privately with his staff about several concerns some utilities have raised regarding the bill.
The leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee introduced a WRDA bill on April 25 that includes Sen. Cardin’s “GET THE LEAD OUT Act,” but omits his other lead response proposals.