The 2012 national platforms for both the Republican and Democratic parties, adopted at their recent conventions, include language supporting water infrastructure investment and referring to the positive impact of this investment on job creation and economic growth.
The GOP platform, We Believe in America, includes in its section on infrastructure: “America’s infrastructure networks are critical for economic growth, international competitiveness, and national security . . . What most Americans take for granted—the safety and availability of our water supply—is in perilous condition. Engineering surveys report crumbling drinking water systems, aging dams, and overwhelmed wastewater infrastructure. Investment in these areas, as well as with levees and inland waterways, can renew communities, attract businesses, and create jobs. Most importantly, it can assure the health and safety of the American people.”
The Democratic platform, Moving America Forward, is not as specific, but notes that “a federal-State-private partnership must invest in the nation’s infrastructure: roads, bridges, airports, ports, and water systems, among others” and commits “to partner with local communities to support their sustainable development.” The Democrats’ environmental plank stated they “will continue working to ensure the integrity of the waters Americans rely on every day for drinking, swimming, and fishing, by supporting initiatives that restore our rivers, oceans, coasts, and watersheds.”
The inclusion of water infrastructure is notable as neither party mentioned it in their platforms for the 2008 election season.