Democrats Re-Introduce Clean Water SRF Reauthorization Bill

This week, Rep. Tim Bishop (Ranking Member of the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee) reintroduced the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2013, along with Reps. King (R-N.Y.) and Young (R-Alaska) and the entire democratic caucus of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The bill – functionally identical to legislation the Congressman introduced last Congress – would reauthorize the clean water state revolving loan fund at $13.8 billion over five years. The legislation would also establish a clean water trust fund (with a provision studying future possible funding sources) and create a new federal program of direct loans and loan guarantees for water infrastructure. "I am pleased that this legislation has garnered bipartisan support for introduction, and I am also pleased that Republican and Democratic staff on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have had several productive meetings to discuss this issue and explore a collaborative path forward.  I look forward to working with Chairmen Shuster and Gibbs and Ranking Member Rahall to advance long-term, sustained investment in our nation’s wastewater infrastructure that has broad support from cities and communities around the country, industry, utilities, environmental groups, unions, equipment suppliers, and engineers," said the Congressman during his floor statement. This bill is not expected to advance beyond where it went last year, but is intended as a marker for where the Democrats stand on this issue. Earlier this year, the AGC co-chaired Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) Executive Committee sent a letter to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Leadership praising their work to develop a “big four” clean water infrastructure funding bill. AGC will continue to advance the ongoing bipartisan discussions on the development of a truly bipartisan effort on water infrastructure. For more information, please contact Scott Berry at (703) 837-5321 or berrys@agc.org.