Senate Committee to Markup Water Infrastructure Bill This Week
The Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works will markup the following drafts of two pieces of legislation aimed at addressing the water infrastructure and the drinking water infrastructure throughout the country:
America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2020
Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020
The Committee will markup the bills on Wednesday, May 6, at 10 a.m. The business meeting will be available via webcast on the Committee's website here.
The America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 (AWIA 2020) serves as the Senate's 2020 work towards the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), legislation that Congress typically focuses on every two years. The bill authorizes approximately $17 billion for the Army Corps to conduct water infrastructure projects. Among the key provisions included in the bill for the Great Lakes are:
The formal authorization of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study-Brandon Road project, which focused on preventing the spread of Asian carp to the Great Lakes;
An adjustment of the federal/local construction cost share of the Brandon Road project to 75 percent federal/25 percent local;
The authorization of a $25 million Great Lakes comprehensive flood protection study; and
The authorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in FY 2022 at $375 million.
The Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020, includes $2.5 billion in federal authorizations specific to the protection of national drinking water priorities. It reauthorizes programs under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to provide resources and technical assistance to communities' critical drinking water needs.
A more detailed breakdown of the AWIA 2020 can be viewed here, and a more detailed breakdown of the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 can be viewed here.
Coronavirus Crisis Causing Major Revenue Shortfalls in States, Cities
The continuing coronavirus crisis is being accompanied by major revenue shortfalls in states and cities nationwide. The Northeast-Midwest Institute released a concept paper on April 13 highlighting the urgent need for federal action to replace non-recoverable state and local revenue shortfalls resulting from COMID-19 mitigation initiatives, which is available here.
Governors, mayors, and local officials increasingly are sounding the alarm that they already have major revenue gaps due to business closures and unemployment, and that these revenue shortfalls are projected to grow in the weeks and months ahead.
A selection of news articles reporting these state and local revenue gaps and the need for major federal support follows:
Business meeting to consider a substitute amendment to an original bill entitled, "America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2020", and a substitute amendment to an original bill entitled, "Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020".
NEMWI: Strengthening the Region that Sustains the Nation
