June 27, 2012
Speakers
• Julie Ufner, Associate Legislative Director, National
Association of Counties (NACo)
• Carolyn Berndt, Principal Associate, National League of
Cities (NLC)
• Tyler Frisbee, Legislative Assistant, Congressman Earl
Blumenauer (D-OR)
• Jon Pawlow, Counsel, Water, House Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
Water Infrastructure Needs
• Local governments fund 95 to 98 percent of all water
and wastewater infrastructure investments, including
over $103 billion in 2009.
• EPA Clean Watershed Needs Survey - $298 billion over
20 years - http://water.epa.gov/scitech/datait/databases/cwns
• EPA Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey $334.8 billion over 20 years
– http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/drinkingwater/dwns
Water Infrastructure Needs (con.)
• American Water Works Association - $1 trillion/20 years
– http://www.awwa.org/Government/Content.cfm?ItemNumber=1062&n
avItemNumber=58521
• Black & Veatch survey of utility leaders - aging
infrastructure is the most pressing concern within the
water utility industry
– http://bv.com/survey/2012-water-utility-report
• American Society of Civil Engineers - has given the
nation’s wastewater and drinking water infrastructure a
grade of “D-” in their most recent report card
– http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/
State Revolving Loan Funds
• Prior to the 1987 CWA amendments - federal share of
project costs was generally 55 percent; state and local
governments were responsible for the remaining 45
percent.
• After 1987 CWA amendments - local communities are now
responsible for 100 percent of projects costs.
• Total federal appropriations to the Clean Water SRF (since
FY1986) and Drinking Water SRF (since FY1994): $69.214 B
• Congressional Budget Office concluded in 2003 that
“current funding from all levels of government and current
revenues generated from ratepayers will not be sufficient
to meet the nation’s future demand for water
infrastructure.”
Tyler Frisbee
Legislative Assistant
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
(202) 225-4811
Tyler.Frisbee@mail.house.gov
Clean Water Trust Fund
• Funding: small fees on a broad base of those who use
water and contribute to water pollution, expected to raise
around $9 billion per year.
• Most of the funding created by the Water Protection and
Reinvestment Act would be distributed as grants and loans
through the existing Clean Water State Revolving Loan
Fund.
• 10% of the funds will be used to finance an innovative
financing program, example: set up a Water Infrastructure
Financing Innovations Authority to provide low-cost
capital to clean water infrastructure projects.
Jon Pawlow, Esq.
Counsel, Water
House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee
(202) 225-4360
Jon.Pawlow@mail.house.gov
Water Infrastructure Finance and
Innovation Authority (WIFIA)
• What is WIFIA? WIFIA would offer loans, loan guarantees,
and other credit support for large water infrastructure
projects.
• How would WIFIA work? WIFIA would access funds from
the U.S. Treasury at long-term Treasury rates and use those
funds to provide loans or other credit support for water
projects.
• How would WIFIA help local governments? Ideally, WIFIA
should allow projects and State Revolving Fund (SRF)
programs to obtain financing through a streamlined
process.
Thank you for viewing this webinar!
Contact Information:
Carolyn Berndt
Principal Associate
National League of Cities
berndt@nlc.org
(202) 626-3101
Julie Ufner
Associate Legislative Director
National Association of Counties
jufner@naco.org
(202) 942-4269