[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 9, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H6309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




GLOBAL WATER AND H.R. 2030, SENATOR PAUL SIMON WATER FOR THE WORLD ACT 
                                OF 2009

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, as one-fifth of the world's population 
relies on freshwater that is either polluted or significantly 
overdrawn, the lack of safe water and sanitation is an ongoing threat 
to global security and remains the world's greatest health problem, 
accounting for 2 million deaths a year and half of the illness in the 
developing world. Before I finish speaking, 15 more children will die 
needlessly from waterborne disease.
  To address this slow-motion disaster, I worked with the then Chair 
and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Henry Hyde 
and Tom Lantos, and the Senate majority and minority leaders, Bill 
Frist and Harry Reid, to enact the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 
2005. This landmark, bipartisan legislation established investment in 
safe and affordable water for the world's poorest as a major goal of 
United States foreign assistance. But, sadly, with the last 
administration, we were slow to implement, and until last year, slow to 
fund it. We are more than halfway to the 2015 Millennium Development 
goal with mixed results, and we must redouble our effort.
  A special concern is Sub-Saharan Africa that lags so far behind that 
we will miss our modest goal to cut the people without safe drinking 
water and sanitation by one-half by 2015, that Sub-Saharan Africa will 
miss that target date by 25 years for water and sanitation by 61 years. 
And these are not just numbers; these are millions of people's lives.
  Some progress is being made through innovative partnerships between 
the United States, NGOs, businesses, and local partners. But the stark 
truth remains: Nearly 900 million people worldwide still lack access to 
safe drinking water, and two out of five people on the planet lack 
basic sanitation services. And this is going to become more of a 
challenge in the future. Because of climate change and rapid population 
growth, there will be further stress on water resources. By 2025, 2.8 
billion people in more than 48 countries will face devastating water 
shortages.
  To help accelerate the progress, on Earth Day I introduced bipartisan 
legislation, the Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2009, along with 
Representatives Payne, Rohrabacher, Jesse Jackson Jr., Zach Wamp, 
Welch, Boozman, Burton, George Miller, and Fortenberry. The purpose of 
this act is to empower the U.S. Government to respond to the pressing 
poverty, security, and environmental threats presented by the dire 
mismanagement and shortage of global freshwater. The goal for the Water 
for the World Act is for the United States to provide 100 million 
people of the world's poorest first-time access to safe drinking water 
and sanitation on a sustainable basis by 2015. To accomplish this goal, 
the legislation builds on the Water for the Poor framework for 
investment, expands U.S. foreign assistance capacity, and recognizes 
sustainable water and sanitation policy as vital to the long-term 
diplomatic and development efforts of the United States.
  I applaud the leadership of Senators Durbin, Corker, and Murray, who 
have introduced companion bipartisan legislation in the Senate. This 
legislation will help the United States focus its efforts and fully 
implement a smart and efficient global water strategy that meets our 
commitment to extend safe drinking water and sanitation to over a 
billion people in need.
  I urge every Member of Congress to make water policy and funding a 
priority, to save the life of a child every 15 seconds who dies 
needlessly from waterborne disease.

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