EPW Committee Unanimously Advances Bipartisan Water Infrastructure Legislation
U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and EPW Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statements after the committee’s approved America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 (AWIA 2020) and the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020. The legislation as amended passed the committee by a vote of 21 to 0.
The two bipartisan bills were introduced by Senators Carper and Barrasso, along with Senators Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). Senators Capito and Cardin serve as chairman and ranking member of the EPW Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Senators Cramer and Duckworth serve as chairman and ranking member of the EPW Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife.
“Every American relies on water infrastructure. Millions of Americans across the country rely on Army Corps of Engineers projects to safely navigate our waters, stay safe from flooding and storm damage, and reap the benefits of healthy aquatic ecosystems and marshlands,” Senator Carper said. “Our country’s drinking water and wastewater systems, shipping channels and flood control structures are essential to our economy and way of life, but they are also in desperate need of improvements and investments. America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 and the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 will make badly needed improvements and investments in water infrastructure systems throughout the country. I thank Chairman Barrasso for his leadership and partnership in this effort, and look forward to the work ahead of us.”
“Our committee has taken a significant step to improve our dams, ports, flood-prevention infrastructure, reservoirs, and drinking water systems,” Senator Barrasso said. “America’s Water Infrastructure Act and the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act will create jobs and grow our economy. The legislation will help ensure American-made goods are safely shipped from one state to another and that the water Americans are drinking is safe. These bills, along with our bipartisan highway infrastructure legislation, should be considered by the full Senate, after the immediate health crisis is behind us. I am thankful to Ranking Member Carper and all the members of our committee for working with me to advance these important water infrastructure bills.”
AWIA 2020 provides roughly $17 billion in new federal authorizations to invest in our infrastructure for projects across the country. The Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 reauthorizes Safe Drinking Water Act programs that support drinking water infrastructure and provide resources and technical assistance to communities facing critical drinking water needs.
You can read text of AWIA 2020 substitute amendment here, and the text of Senators Carper and Barrasso’s amendment to AWIA 2020 substitute amendment here.
You can read text of the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 substitute amendment here, and the text of Carper and Barrasso’s amendment to the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 substitute amendment here.