Two pieces of AMWA-backed legislation – to allow water systems to communicate annual consumer confidence reports (CCRs) electronically and to establish a competitive grant program to fund water infrastructure adaptation to changing hydrological conditions, respectively – continued to build support on Capitol Hill as 2012 got underway.
The electronic CCR proposal, introduced in the House as H.R. 1340, had 51 bipartisan cosponsors as of February 17. A companion bill in the U.S. Senate (S. 1578) had 10 cosponsors: seven Republicans and three Democrats. AMWA is continuing to communicate with congressional staff on the legislation and is looking for opportunities to advance the bill this year, though the condensed calendar due to the November elections may pose complications.
Meanwhile, the “Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act” (H.R. 2738/S. 1669), is up to sixteen cosponsors in the House to go along with its three Senate supporters. The bill has received less attention this year as the climate change issue has been placed on the back burner in Congress, but AMWA has continued to promote the bill to highlight the unique climate adaptation and sustainability needs of the nation’s drinking water and wastewater systems.
To this end, AMWA is working with Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), the House bill’s sponsor, and other water sector associations to organize a Capitol Hill briefing on water utility adaption needs later this spring. Planned for March 20 during AMWA’s Water Policy Conference, the briefing will feature Rep. Capps as well as several drinking water and wastewater utility representatives who will explain how their communities are preparing for changing hydrological conditions, and discuss what kind of federal government assistance would offer the greatest returns. For more information about the planned briefing, please contact AMWA’s Dan Hartnett at [email protected].