Members of Congress continued to offer new legislation this month related to water infrastructure funding and ratepayer assistance, measures that seem at least in part spurred by the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich.
A bill offered by Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) would drastically increase authorized funding for the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs to a total of $56.1 billion over five years. A statement from Sen. Cardin’s office introducing the bill (S. 2532) said the measure would “provide immediate authorization for additional resources that would assist Flint, Mich., and other localities nationwide that are attempting to cope with dangerous levels of lead and other pollutants in their water supplies, as well as crumbling water systems.”
Also this month Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) introduced the “Low-Income Sewer and Water Assistance Act” (H.R. 4542), which she said would “provide a lifeline for some households struggling with their water and wastewater costs.” The bill, loosely modeled on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, would create a pilot program at EPA to help low-income households pay their water and sewer bills. The pilot program would award grants to at least ten municipalities subject to Clean Water Act consent decrees, and the municipalities would then use the funding to offset the water and sewer bills of low-income households.
Neither proposal is expected to see action in the Republican-controlled Congress, though Sen. Cardin has indicated that he also plans to introduce a more comprehensive SRF reauthorization bill later this year.