On April 29, the U.S. Senate approved the bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 (DWWIA 2021) (S. 914), which would authorize the investment of more than $35 billion in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Specifically, it would reauthorize several key drinking water and wastewater funding programs, expand EPA assistance to help water systems build resilience to climate change and extreme weather, reauthorize and increase funding for EPA’s lead reduction projects grant program, and establish a pilot program to promote low-income water and wastewater affordability, among other priorities.
“The American Foundry Society (AFS) applauds Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE), Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WVA), Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and other members of the committee for developing strong, bipartisan legislation to improve our nation’s water infrastructure,” said AFS CEO Doug Kurkul. “The DWWIA 2021 provides significant investments to help communities address complex water infrastructure challenges, and U.S. metalcasters look forward to supplying critical American-made components that are used in the distribution, transmission, and maintenance for our drinking and wastewater systems throughout the nation.”
S. 914 will now be sent to the House of Representatives, where lawmakers have introduced their own significantly larger water infrastructure proposals this year. But the timing for any of those measures to go before the full House is unclear, and ultimately a final water infrastructure package could be formulated later this year when House and Senate members meet in a conference committee to negotiate a compromise between S. 914 and a House proposal.