(Washington, D.C.) – Following the President’s call for strengthened infrastructure during this week’s State of the Union address, U.S. Rep. John Katko (NY-24) has introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation in the House to modernize our nation’s water infrastructure systems. Rep. Katko was joined by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) in offering the bill.
The Securing Required Funding for Water Infrastructure Now Act (SRF WIN Act) modernizes federal investment in water infrastructure to leverage $1 billion into over $50 billion in new funds to complete thousands of vetted water and wastewater State Revolving Fund projects. This legislation will build on and preserve the bipartisan Water Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (WIFIA), successful legislation that leveraged millions of dollars of investment into local water systems. Katko’s legislation combines the best aspects of the State Revolving Funds with the leveraging power of WIFIA to more efficiently and affordably provide states with access to new funding to make the desperately needed investments in drinking and wastewater infrastructure.
“In Central New York and communities nationwide, we need to focus on updating our water infrastructure systems to ensure safe, reliable drinking water is available,” said Rep. Katko. “I’m proud to introduce this innovative, bipartisan legislation, and hopeful for the prospect of billions of dollars in new water infrastructure investment. These funds could prove extremely helpful as communities throughout our region work to update and maintain water systems.”
“America’s water systems are in crisis. The federal government is not investing in water maintenance and repair. Estimates show that up to $1 trillion may be needed to meet the demands of the next 25 years,” said Representative Blumenauer. “Our legislation will help close that gap, rebuild and renew America, and help to ensure that no American family has to worry about the safety of their water.”
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney said, “Onondaga County is proud of its record of investing in our water infrastructure. The SRF WIN Act will provide the additional funding needed to ensure that we can continue investing in our water systems for every resident and business. I appreciate Congressman Katko’s longstanding efforts in Congress to strengthen water infrastructure funding.”
“The biggest challenge the City of Oswego has at this time, like many upstate New York communities is our aging and deteriorating municipal infrastructure. Our roads, bridges and water infrastructure are becoming unreliable as they age and need to be repaired or updated. Most local government budgets alone can not handle the expense associated with adequately updating and replacing this critical infrastructure. I applaud Congressman Katko for introducing this legislation and working to ensure localities can continue to provide safe, clean, and reliable water to our taxpayers. This much-needed funding would significantly help the City of Oswego and as always, Congressman Katko is bringing our most pressing issues to the forefront in Washington,” stated City of Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow.
“With an estimated one-in-seven New York schools with unsafe drinking water and a multi-billion dollar investment needed in our clean water infrastructure, now is the time to properly restore critical water infrastructure funding. We applaud Rep. Katko’s ongoing efforts to protect every New Yorker’s access to clean, safe water and look forward to continuing our partnership on this important issue,” said Mike Elmendorf, President & CEO of the Associated General Contractors of New York State.
This legislation would:
- Authorize $200 million annually over five years to support state revolving fund projects exclusively.
- Encourage states to bundle their projects by waiving the $100,000 application fee and streamlining the application process to a maximum 180-day turnaround.
- Simplify the federal approval process by allowing thousands of vetted drinking water and wastewater projects to receive funding, eliminating the need for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to process thousands of additional loan applications.
- Preserve the successful state revolving funds (SRFs) and the Water Infrastructure and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program.
Rep. Katko has focused significantly in Congress on bolstering water infrastructure for Central New York and communities nationwide. He led efforts in the House to restore critical water infrastructure funding to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) and recently joined Rep. Elizabeth Esty (CT-05) and members of the Problem Solvers Caucus in authoring a bipartisan infrastructure report highlighting the importance of investing in infrastructure on a federal level.
This measure has been introduced in the Senate by Sens. Boozman (R-AR), Booker (D-NJ), Inhofe (R-OK), and Feinstein (D-CA).
Congressman Katko represents the 24th Congressional District of New York, which includes all of Onondaga, Cayuga, and Wayne Counties and the western portion of Oswego County. For more information visit https://katko.house.gov or www.facebook.com/RepJohnKatko.
