"Water Infrastructure Financing: WIFIA and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund"
House Public Works and Transportation Subcommittee on Water Resources
2025-03-11
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Source: Congress.gov
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Transcript
The Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment will come to order. I ask unanimous consent that the Chairman be authorized to declare a recess at any time during today's hearing. Without objection, so ordered. I also ask unanimous consent that members not on the Subcommittee be permitted to sit with the Subcommittee at today's hearing and ask questions. Without objection, so ordered. As a reminder, if members wish to insert a document into the record, please also email it to documentsti at mail.house.gov. I'll now recognize myself for the purpose of an opening statement for five minutes. I want to first thank the witnesses for joining us today for our hearing on water infrastructure financing through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. Or thank God, WIFA. Programs at the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers. Reliable water infrastructure is critical to safe, healthy, and secure communities. Under the jurisdiction of this subcommittee and through these programs, water infrastructure can mean many different things. such as wastewater treatment plants, which protect the public health and water quality, ports and navigational channels that enable the movement of goods nationwide, and levees and dams that safeguard communities from flooding, among others. This infrastructure may not be flashy, but the communities across Georgia and throughout the United States rely on it every single day. And building and maintaining it is neither a small or cheap undertaking. For example, some estimates have shown that hundreds of billions of dollars will be required to repair and replace clean water and wastewater infrastructure over the next 20 years. Those costs only swell when we account for other water infrastructure needs. The Clean Water SFR, and the WIFIA programs provide financing, primarily in the form of low-interest loans for a wide range of wastewater and wastewater projects.
It is our responsibility to ensure that these programs are providing communities assistance to address their water infrastructure needs, while also ensuring that the programs are managed in a financially responsible way so they can keep providing this assistance in the future. The Clean Water SRF has provided $172 billion through almost 50,000 low-interest loans to communities mainly for wastewater infrastructure facilities and upgrades. For nearly 40 years, this program has functioned as a successful partnership between the federal government and states where the states select projects to receive Clean Water SRF financing. On the other hand, the EPA and the WIFIA program and the Core Water Infrastructure Financing Program, also referred to as CWIFP, were authorized in 2014 and are administered on the federal level. While the EPA SWFE program has closed 140 loans, CWIFP has not yet issued its first loan. CWIFP has struggled to get off the ground due to the variety of limitations placed on the program by our appropriations colleagues as well as the Office of Management and Budget. As with all federal programs, there's always room for improvement to increase effectiveness and efficiency and to ultimately spend our taxpayer dollars more responsibly. Also want to note that for the Clean Water SRF and the WIFA programs to reach their full potential in assisting communities, we must also cut burdensome red tape and provide regulatory flexibility to the projects so that they get done faster. These are initiatives that I want to continue to work on this Congress and in partnership with the Trump administration because a reasonably less restrictive regulatory environment will benefit all projects and programs as well as our economy.
Thank you so much, Chair Collins, for holding today's hearing on the critical issue of affordable investments in water infrastructure. This is my first time here as ranking member, and I'd like to take this opportunity to add my congratulations to your selection to lead this very important subcommittee. And I look forward to working with you as ranking member and working towards meeting the water needs of our nation, our communities, and the hardworking families that we represent. I'm privileged to represent Florida's 24th congressional district in South Florida. a district known for its stunning beaches, crystal clear water, and vibrant outdoor lifestyle. Like much of Florida, our local economy is intertwined with the quality of our environment. Florida is a peninsula surrounded almost by water from head to toe. Clean water is the foundation of our region's environment. quality of life, and the approximately 1.2 million Florida jobs that depend on Florida's tourism. Our very existence depends on clean water for everyday consumption, commerce, recreation, and the economic vitality of the region. Not to mention that my community is ground zero for the climate crisis. that our world faces. That is why I'm deeply concerned about the chaos that Republicans are creating with our clean water future. At the last committee hearing, witnesses from across the United States highlighted how the uncertainty caused by Republican funding freezes in water
infrastructure financing is jeopardizing water projects across the nation. This situation is leading to project delays, escalating costs, and even the potential abandonment of crucial local water infrastructure projects.
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