Sources: U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works; CP staff
Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Tom Carper (D-DE), Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), the respective chairmen and ranking members of the Environment and Public Works Committee and its Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, have introduced America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 with an eye to:
- Assisting local communities in complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act through drinking water and wastewater system upgrades;
- Allowing more Corps projects to be budgeted at the regional and local level, with local stakeholder input, versus solely at the national level;
- Authorizing or reauthorizing important water infrastructure programs and projects that benefit the entire country; and,
- Deepening nationally significant ports and maintaining the navigability of inland waterways across the country.
“America’s Water Infrastructure Act will make communities safer and grow our economy,” says Senator Barrasso. “President Trump has made addressing the nation’s aging dams, levees, water systems, and ports a top priority. This bipartisan legislation answers the president’s call.”
“Since 2010, we’ve witnessed the longest-running economic expansion in our nation’s history, but if we want this record growth to continue through 2018 and into the next decade, investments in our decades-old infrastructure will be crucial,” adds Senator Carper. “Beyond what we think of as traditional infrastructure of roads, highways and bridges, our water infrastructure—waterways, ports, dams, levees, drinking and wastewater systems and natural infrastructure along our coasts—touches every single sector of our economy and nearly every American household.”
“One of our constitutionally required duties is to maintain our nation’s critical infrastructure,” notes Senator Inhofe. “This bipartisan act will support our inland waterways and water resources, provide for greater state and community input, and promote economic development and interstate commerce.”