Legislation would invest $40 billion in the clean water state revolving fund
On June 10, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the AGC-supported Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2021 (H.R. 1915) with bipartisan support. The bill would authorize over $50 billion to address America’s crumbling wastewater infrastructure and water quality challenges, providing funding for the construction, repair, and replacement of wastewater and stormwater systems. It would so do by significantly increasing the amount of federal assistance available through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF). The Act would also provide additional funding for investments in grant assistance to improve water quality. For more information, click “Learn More.”
The funding will create thousands of construction jobs, reduce system construction and maintenance costs, and increase system resiliency. The bill would provide:
- $40 billion over five years to capitalize Clean Water SRFs – which provides low-interest loans, loan subsidizations, and grants to communities for wastewater infrastructure;
- $2 billion for grants to municipalities to capture, treat, or reuse sewer overflows or stormwater;
- $2.5 billion in grants for States to implement State water pollution control programs.
- $1 billion for Clean Water pilot programs for watershed-based efforts to address wet weather discharges, to promote stormwater best practices, to undertake integrated water resource management, and to increase climate resiliency;
- $1 billion in grants for alternative water source projects, such as wastewater or stormwater reuse, to augment the existing water supplies;
- $1 billion in Clean Water Act grants to municipalities to implement treatment standards for PFAS and other emerging contaminants; and
- $2.5 billion in wastewater infrastructure assistance to address the backlog of critical needs for Indian Tribes.
For more information, contact Allen Gray at allen.gray@agc.org or Alex Etchen at alex.etchen@agc.org