PRESS RELEASE: Republicans Belly Flop on Kaptur Water Infrastructure Amendment
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) was thwarted today in her attempt to restore $394 million federal funding to finance state-based wastewater infrastructure projects, called the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. This fund allows Ohio’s cities and counties to borrow from a self-perpetuating pool of funds to make improvements and upgrades to sewers and wastewater systems which ensure clean water for lakes and rivers, such as Lake Erie. Kaptur’s amendment was rejected 17 to 31 on a mostly party-line vote.
“Many of you know how important water is to me and my Ohio district,” said Kaptur. “In fact, by area, I represent much more water than I do land. As such, I worry a great deal about the choices made in this bill which cuts overall funding for water infrastructure by 10% compared to last year and wastewater investment by over 30%.”
According to the Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, since 1977, federal spending on water infrastructure has fallen from over $16 billion to under $5 billion. Today, only 4 percent of funding for local water projects are federal dollars. The EPA estimates that it would require a minimum of $35 billion for safe water infrastructure to guarantee the public safe drinking water.
“Keeping our rivers and lakes clean, makes it easier to have safe drinking water which in turn flows back into our fresh bodies of water,” stated Kaptur. “Last August, my constituents in the City of Toledo paid an extra $400,000 on chemicals to treat polluted water from Lake Erie due to algal blooms.”
The Toledo Water Crisis cost the city government over $200,000 in cleanup costs alone, not counting untold millions in lost business and tax revenue, and Toledo residents currently face a looming burden of $58 million to upgrade the city’s water supply system.
According to the EPA, the State of Ohio currently has made 1,256 revolving loans, for a total of 2,466 projects, from $5,137,145,030 in available loan funds. Ohio has the second-largest state revolving loan program in the nation, next to California.
The US Conference of Mayors reported recently that local spending on water systems doubled between the years 2002 and 2012, reflecting a growing trend to relegate funding responsibility to local cities, towns and counties. In the past twenty years only once has funding in real terms for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds fallen below the proposed funding levels for the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1, 2016.
Kaptur offered her amendment during the legislative debate today before the House Appropriations Committee on the spending bill for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and some smaller environmental agencies.
Congresswoman Kaptur serves as the Ranking Member of the U.S. House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee.
For more background on the Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund:
https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf
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