A dozen water and local government organizations wrote President Obama in January, urging the Administration to continue to seek “robust funding levels” for EPA’s drinking water and clean water state revolving funds. While the fiscal year 2014 omnibus spending bill increased funding for those programs to $2.35 billion – $119 million more than the post-sequester level – the letter urged that the president’s fiscal year 2015 budget request include at least the same level of funding: $907 million and $1.449 billion and for the DW and CW SRFs, respectively.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties signed the letter along with AMWA and other water, public works and infrastructure associations. The letter applauded the funding levels of the FY2014 omnibus, saying they signaled recognition of the value of these programs in a challenging fiscal environment and urged the Administration to continue this commitment. “Modernizing and replacing the country’s aging water infrastructure is one of the largest public works needs that our nation faces,” the letter said. “Meeting this need will require a serious investment.”
The state revolving funds represent about an eighth of the EPA’s budget, provide capital for water infrastructure projects, and the funding levels for the DWSRF in FY 2014 marked an increase of $46 million from current post-sequester spending levels and $90 million more than the funding level requested by the president. The CWSRF funding is an increase of $73 million compared with the post-sequester level and $354 million more than the president’s budget request.
The White House is expected to release its fiscal year 2015 budget request in early March.