A group of 96 Democrats in the House of Representatives wrote to Appropriations Committee leaders last week to request a total of $4 billion in funding evenly split between the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs in the 2017 fiscal year.
Authored by the top Democrats on the House committees and subcommittees with oversight of water and wastewater infrastructure – including Reps. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), both of whom are scheduled to speak at AMWA’s Water Policy Conference this week – the letter said increased SRF funding is warranted in the aftermath of several recent public health emergencies tied to inadequate water or wastewater treatment. In addition to public health risks, the authors wrote that water infrastructure failures “are costing businesses, individuals, and state and local governments millions of dollars in emergency repairs and responses and in lost revenues.”
The DWSRF received $863 million in the current fiscal year, and President Obama has requested increasing funding to $1.03 billion in FY17. But the President has proposed cutting CWSRF funding from $1.394 billion to $979.5 million next year. The letter sent to appropriators last week seeks $2 billion for each program.
The $4 billion funding level divided between the Drinking Water and Clean Water programs mirrors a request AMWA and nine other water sector groups made to Congress earlier this month.