Update on Federal Legislative Water Proposals
CASA, along with other stakeholders, testified before Congress in September to provide input on several legislative proposals and promote our federal legislative priorities. As a follow-up, we recently attended a meeting with White House aides where we heard presentations from U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Dearborn and Special Assistant to the President for Infrastructure D.J. Gribbin. Here are our key takeaways from the meeting.
- Infrastructure policy proposals will likely be delayed until after tax reform efforts are complete;
- There will likely be no increased funding of existing water infrastructure programs;
- There may be some direct assistance for rural communities, though urban areas will likely have to pursue funding through public private partnerships (P3s) and WIFIA type programs;
- Regulatory streamlining and P3s will be key pieces of the emerging policy options
