WEF Joins Others in Pushing Water Infrastructure Funding in Omnibus Bill

The Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) has joined other organizations in sending a letter on Nov. 10, to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate requesting funding for water infrastructure in the final fiscal year (FY) 2016 Omnibus bill.

President Barack Obama and Congress struck a deal to increase the federal debt ceiling and top-line budget for the next 2 fiscal years. This started the process in Congress of drafting and agreeing to the FY2016 Omnibus spending package. WEF and other water sector organizations request that the bill

• fund the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) at $1.45 billion;
• fund the Drinking Water SRF at $1.186 billion;
• support the Senate’s addition of $50 million for Title XVI and other drought response projects at the Bureau of Reclamation; and
• fund the new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act at $25 million.

WEF is encouraging its members to

1. send letters totheir senators and representatives and
2. follow up with telephone calls to urge them to act.

WEF has prepared a draft letter for members that supports the funding but opposes certain policy riders such as “Kirk language.” Kirk Language would ban wet-weather treatment-bypassing and combined-sewer overflow in the Great Lakes watershed and cost communities more than $72 billion to comply.

For more information, contact Steve Dye, WEF legislative director, at sdye@wef.org.