Bipartisan senators announce $19.5B water infrastructure proposal

Lawmakers on the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee have announced two pieces of draft legislation that together would invest $19.5 billion into the country’s water infrastructure.

One draft bill, America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 (AWIA 2020) would aim to increase water storage, offer flooding protection and repair wastewater and irrigation systems among other measures.

The other, the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 aims to help communities meet their drinking water needs.

“The draft legislation will help ensure American-made goods are safely shipped from one state to another and that the water Americans are drinking is safe,” said Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in a statement.

He added that the bills, in addition to a highway bill that has already been introduced, would answer calls from President Trump for Congress to "pass comprehensive infrastructure legislation, once we are past the immediate health crisis."

Barrasso and top EPW Democrat Tom Carper (Del.) announced the legislation together in a statement, which said that the bills will build upon the committee’s bipartisan 2018 water infrastructure legislation.