House Bill Cuts Drinking Water SRF by 68

On Sept. 3, House Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee members examined a proposed bill that would slash authorized Drinking Water State Revolving Fund levels by 68 percent.

NUCA strongly objected to the proposal in the “Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvement Act,” writing in their media statement, “Authorizing a 68 percent cut to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund while communities face a 20-year, $1.2 trillion backlog in drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure needs is not fiscal discipline. It is deferred maintenance disguised as budget savings.”

For NUCA contractors building water systems, that proposal collides with documented need. EPA
estimates $625 billion is required over 20 years for drinking water systems alone, while communities
face a $1.2 trillion drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater backlog and roughly $90 billion in annual shortfalls. The Senate is advancing SRF authorizations rising to $4.5 billion annually by 2030, a sensible proposal strongly supported by NUCA. This legislation is only in the beginning stages, and NUCA is lobbying our Congressional supporters to remove this cut before any final bill is considered.