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Washington, D.C. - Today, Commissioner and CEO of Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) Randy E. Hayman, Esq. testified on behalf of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. In his testimony, Mr. Hayman highlighted the importance and impact of the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) on drinking water systems across the country. He also stressed AMWA’s readiness to work with the Committee to ensure the funding is used for the continued delivery of safe, clean drinking water across the nation.

His testimony centers on the many benefits of the AMWA-backed Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA) and IIJA to PWD and other community water systems across the country. He discusses how these benefits are already impacting communities in Philadelphia and in the nation. President Biden last month announced that his system will receive $500 million in loans through IIJA and DWWIA-authorized programs to upgrade PWD’s water infrastructure, including through water main replacement that will include the removal of any lead service lines discovered. 

In his testimony, Mr. Hayman states, “This financing will make a real difference in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania, but only represents the beginning. DWWIA also included several other new program authorizations that carry the potential to address a range of other challenges, from extreme weather resilience to low-income affordability.”

Hayman continued, “And looking ahead, will share some suggestions for how AMWA and the entire water sector hope to work with Congress and the EPA to make IIJA even more effective as implementation continues in the upcoming years.”

While applauding the IIJA’s historic level of water infrastructure spending, Mr. Hayman also calls attention to the overlooked authorizations and reauthorizations for targeted EPA programs, originally a part of the EPW Commitee’s DWWIA legislation rolled into IIJA, that will help individual water systems address a myriad of public health challenges.

AMWA strongly supports action to deliver funding to each of these programs at their full authorized level.

Read the full testimony here.

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The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) has been the unified and definitive voice for the nation’s largest publicly owned drinking water systems for over 40 years. AMWA's membership serves more than 160 million people with safe drinking water.

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