AMWA and NACWA joined forces last week to write top House and Senate appropriators to request strong fiscal year 2023 (FY23) funding for EPA’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs, as well as a newly authorized initiative to help low-income households pay their water and wastewater bills.
The groups’ letter asked Congress to “provide the highest levels of federal investment for water infrastructure programs in the FY23 Omnibus Appropriations package,” with a special focus on the Drinking Water and Clean Water SRFs and EPA’s Rural and Low-Income Customer Assistance Pilot Program, which was authorized as part of last year’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Congressional FY23 support for the SRFs and low-income assistance is vital to helping public utilities be able to continue providing the highest level of affordable, reliable, and sustainable water services for their local communities,” the letter continued.
While the 2023 fiscal year began on October 1, Congress has yet to finalize any FY23 spending measure. The government is currently operating on a temporary extension of FY22 funds, and lawmakers will have to either finalize an FY23 spending bill – or extend the FY22 levels again – before December 16 to avoid a government shutdown.