[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17657]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     WATER INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. One issue that is too often out of sight and out of 
mind is the quality and the condition of our drinking water and 
wastewater pipes under the ground.
  Just 6 months ago, we all watched in shock as rescue workers 
airlifted people from vehicles caught in a massive rush of water caused 
by a water main rupture on River Road just outside of Washington, D.C., 
because of the failure of a single, corroded pipe installed over 40 
years ago. In fact, 72,000 miles of sewer main and water pipe are over 
80 years of age.
  This morning, there was a water main break that closed 23rd Street at 
I, near the George Washington Hospital.
  The EPA estimates that American communities suffered more than 
240,000 water main breaks last year. Combined with overflowing combined 
sewer systems causing contamination, property damage, disruption in 
water supply and, often, massive traffic jams.
  The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates an average of 6 
billion gallons of water is lost every day through leakage--enough to 
fill over 9,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The Engineers have given 
our Nation's drinking water and wastewater infrastructure a D-minus 
grade in their most recent report--sadly, a grade that was not improved 
over the report from 5 years ago.
  The House of Representatives recognized the need to upgrade water 
infrastructure earlier this year, passing H.R. 1262, the Water Quality 
Investment Act, which would update and reauthorize Clean Water State 
Revolving Loan Funds. But they simply don't have enough money.
  The EPA's most recent estimate is there is an over $500 billion gap 
between current investment and projected needs over the next 20 years. 
Surface and air transportation infrastructure, while facing their own 
challenges, at least have a dedicated source of funding. Water does 
not.
  In the spring of 2005, the famous Republican pollster, Frank Luntz, 
released a poll that showed Americans would support a sustainable, 
dedicated source of water funding for infrastructure.

                              {time}  1045

  He found the public sees clean water as an even higher priority than 
investments made in transportation and airways--71 percent prioritized 
water above other infrastructure. It is time to stop talking about it 
and do something: creating a dedicated firewall trust fund for water 
infrastructure.
  This afternoon, I will introduce legislation to create this trust 
fund financed by a number of funding mechanisms that are simple, 
equitable and adequate for $10 billion a year. The Water Protection and 
Reinvestment Act will establish a trust fund to finance clean water and 
drinking water infrastructure. Most of the money will go through the 
State revolving funds for sewage and drinking water improvements.
  The financing mechanisms in the Water Protection and Reinvestment Act 
will include a fee based on water-based beverages, products that are 
disposed of in wastewater, pharmaceutical products, and corporate 
profits. These fees would be assessed at the manufacturer level so they 
will be easy to administer and will have a minimal impact on the 
consumer. They will be at a level that is so low that it would not 
place the entire burden on any one industry or group of consumers. With 
a mix of funding, everyone will contribute to a solution from which 
everyone will benefit from.
  I am pleased that the legislation already has a diverse support of 
stakeholders from the Associated General Contractors, American Rivers, 
the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, and Rural Community 
Assistance Partnership, and a wide range of bipartisan original 
cosponsors, including Congressmen Norm Dicks, Steve LaTourette, Michael 
Simpson, and Thomas Petri, representing a base of support from 
thoughtful, bipartisan legislators.
  While the funding question is always complicated, the public is with 
us. In January of this year, pollster Frank Luntz released a new poll--
and remember, he is the famous Republican pollster--finding that a 
nearly unanimous 94 percent of Americans are concerned about the state 
of our Nation's infrastructure. He found that this concern cuts across 
all regions of the country: urban, rural, suburban. He found that 84 
percent of the public wants the Federal Government to spend more money 
to improve infrastructure, and that 81 percent of Americans are 
personally prepared to pay 1 percent more in taxes for the cause.
  The need is clear. The public is supportive. My hope is that my 
colleagues will join me in a solution that will make all of our 
communities more livable, and our families safer, healthier, and more 
economically secure.

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