AMWA led a group of five water sector associations in writing to congressional appropriations leaders on December 6 to request the maintenance of level funding for EPA’s Water Security Division (WSD) when the agency’s fiscal year 2018 budget is finalized.
Congressional leaders will soon begin drafting an omnibus appropriations bill that will provide fiscal year 2018 funding for EPA and other departments and agencies. The letter, which in addition to AMWA was signed by the American Water Works Association, the National Association of Water Companies, the Water Environment Federation and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, asks lawmakers to allocate $33.122 million for homeland security activities under EPA’s Science and Technology account next year. That sum, the letter explains, would maintain the account’s current funding and allow the continued operation of WSD efforts. WSD offers a range of security, resilience and emergency response tools and resources to members of the water and wastewater sector.
Earlier this year President Trump proposed eliminating all WSD funding as part of broader cuts to EPA’s budget. An EPA spending bill approved by the House of Representatives in the fall would restore about half of WSD’s current funds, but a draft appropriations bill circulated by Senate Republicans in November would provide enough funding to continue all WSD activities. AMWA’s letter asks lawmakers to include this Senate figure in the FY18 spending legislation that is expected to be finalized next year.
AMWA is also inviting its members to send their own letters to their senators and representatives in support of FY18 WSD funding. If your utility would like to write to Congress on this issue, please contact AMWA’s Dan Hartnett ([email protected]) for a sample letter.