EPW Leaders Introduce Comprehensive
Bipartisan Water Infrastructure Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), joined committee ranking member Tom Carper (D-DE), Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee chairman Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee ranking member Ben Cardin (D-MD) to introduce America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018.
Pat Riley (MONTANA – pictured above) will represent the Family Farm Alliance at a legislative hearing scheduled for tomorrow, May 9, beginning at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern). A copy of the Family Farm Alliance written testimony can be found here.
“We appreciate that the 2018 AWIA includes specific provisions that will benefit the Upper Missouri River watershed, where Mr. Riley resides, as well as rural communities and agricultural water users in those areas of the country located west of the 100th Meridian,” said Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen (OREGON). “Some of the key provisions of AWIA 2018 that apply to the West include modifications to Fontenelle Reservoir in Wyoming, flood protection on the Snake River, reauthorization of the national levee safety program, adjustment of flood control rule curves on non-Federal reservoirs, control of invasive species, and evaluation of federal agency capabilities and capacity, among others.”
America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 supports our nation’s economic competitiveness by increasing water storage, providing protection from dangerous floodwaters, deepening nationally significant ports, and maintaining the navigability of inland waterways across the country. The legislation will also repair aging drinking water, wastewater and irrigation systems.
“America’s Water Infrastructure Act will make communities safer and grow our economy by improving the nation’s water infrastructure,” said Senator Barrasso. “President Trump has made addressing the nation’s aging dams, levies, water systems, and ports a top priority. This bipartisan legislation answers the president’s call. Projects included in the bill would make a positive impact in Wyoming by increasing water storage; protecting communities from dangerous ice jam floods; and by upgrading old water systems. Let’s use this opportunity to pass major water infrastructure legislation that will help keep our nation prosperous.”
America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 would:
- Expand water storage capabilities;
- Assist local communities in complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act in upgrading aging drinking water, wastewater and irrigation systems;
- Reduce flooding risks for rural western communities;
- Ensure that America maintains the competitiveness of our coastal and inland ports, and maintain the navigability of our inland waterways; and
- Create a new framework to allow for more Corps projects to be budgeted at the regional and local level, with local stakeholder input, as opposed to just at the national level;
- Authorize or reauthorize important water infrastructure programs and projects that benefit the entire country; and
- Addresses significant water infrastructure needs in tribal communities.
Read the text of the bill here.
Read the section-by-section of the bill here.
Background Information:
America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 authorizes projects which have undergone congressional scrutiny and have completed chief of engineers’ reports from the Army Corps.
On January 10, 2018, the EPW Committee held a hearing on “America’s Water Infrastructure Needs and Challenges.”
On January 17, 2018, the EPW Committee held a hearing on “America’s Water Infrastructure Needs and Challenges: Federal Panel.”
