Two House lawmakers are preparing a letter in support of a “Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act” (WIFIA) that would offer low-cost financing for major water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Organized by Reps. Mike Doyle (D-Penn.) and Tim Murphy (R-Penn.), the letter will request the inclusion of “a mutually acceptable and cost-effective WIFIA program” in a larger water resources bill Congress is expected to finalize this spring.
Reps. Doyle and Murphy spent last week soliciting additional members of Congress to sign their pro-WIFIA letter. The final version will be sent to the leaders of a bicameral conference committee working to complete a “Water Resources Development Act” (WRDA) reauthorization bill.
An AMWA-backed WIFIA pilot program was included last year in a Senate-approved WRDA bill, but a subsequent House-passed WRDA omitted the pilot. AMWA and other WIFIA supporters have urged lawmakers to maintain WIFIA in the final compromise bill, and last week the association asked its members to contact their Congress representatives to request they co-sign the Doyle-Murphy WIFIA letter.
Reps. Doyle and Murphy set a March 4 deadline for other members of Congress to sign their letter, so there is still time for AMWA members to ask their representatives to sign on. AMWA members wishing to do so may contact AMWA’s Dan Hartnett for a sample request letter.