AMWA was one of nine water utility, state, and municipal organizations calling on lawmakers this month to reject President Obama’s proposed FY15 cuts to the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs.
In written testimony submitted to the House Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee on April 16, AMWA and the other groups said Congress should, at minimum, maintain current funding levels for the DW and CW SRFs next year. This request came a little over a month after the White House released its FY15 budget request that proposed cutting total SRF spending by $581 million below current levels.
The pro-SRF organizations submitted their testimony for the record of the subcommittee’s April 10 hearing on funding levels for all spending programs under its jurisdiction. In addition to AMWA, the other organizations joining the testimony were the American Public Works Association, the American Water Works Association, the Association of Clean Water Administrators, the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, the Council on Infrastructure Financing Authorities, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, the National Association of Water Companies, and the Water Environment Federation.
The testimony was submitted as indications emerged that lawmakers are likely to reject the White House’s call to dramatically trim SRF spending. Congressional skepticism over the proposed SRF cuts was apparent when EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy made several trips to Capitol Hill over the course of late March and April to testify before various congressional committees on EPA’s budget request. In each instance, she met strong criticism over the proposed SRF reductions. At various times, lawmakers from each side of the aisle called the $581 million cut “disappointing,” “unfortunate,” and “unacceptable.” McCarthy’s testimony attempted to defend the $1.775 billion SRF request as necessarily focused on the needs of small water systems, but most representatives and senators appeared to remain unconvinced.
House appropriators are expected to begin crafting their own FY15 Interior-EPA spending proposal as early as next month.