New Water Legislation On Tap As AMWA Gathers For Policy Conference

This week is shaping up to be a big one for AMWA’s water policy agenda on Capitol Hill. Not only will members of the association gather in Washington, D.C. for the Water Policy Conference, but two pieces of legislation marking key components of AMWA’s priorities for the year are on track to be introduced in Congress.

First, AMWA has been working with Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) to reintroduce the Financing Lead Out of Water (FLOW) Act in the 118th Congress. Originally introduced last year after AMWA identified the need for legislation, the bill would make it easier for community water systems to finance full lead service line replacements with tax-exempt bonds while minimizing IRS red tape. AMWA has once again organized a coalition of supporters of the bill, and its sponsors have said they intend to formally introduce the measure this week.

AMWA has also been in touch with Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) on new legislation that would call on EPA to help and encourage more drinking water and wastewater systems to participate in the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center. WaterISAC is the water sector’s dedicated information-sharing resource for all-hazards threats and response actions, but it is a nonprofit organization supported by dues, and only a relatively small percentage of the nation’s water systems are members. The draft legislation, based on an Energy Department program designed to increase E-ISAC memberships among electric utilities, would direct EPA to take steps to encourage water systems to be part of WaterISAC, and allow the agency to offset costs associated with dues for some utilities.

Sen. Markey and Rep. Schakowsky are expected to introduce this bill, the Water System Threat Preparedness and Response Act, this week as well. In anticipation of the bill’s formal debut AMWA and a group of water sector stakeholders submitted a letter of support last week.

Once both measures are formally introduced, AMWA will encourage its member utilities to write their representatives and senators in support of both bills, to put them in the best position for passage at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, AMWA members may wish to utilize the association’s one-pagers on our policy priorities for the year, which feature information about both proposals.