Washington, D.C. – Today the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously passed the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth. In response, Food & Water Watch Policy Director Mitch Jones issued the following statement:

“The water infrastructure bill that moved through committee today may be an improvement on past attempts to address our country’s ever-mounting list of water crises, but it is still wholly inadequate given the nature and scope of the task at hand. From rampant lead contamination in Flint, Michigan, to millions in the South recently going weeks without any water at all, our country’s water systems have literally reached the breaking point. Legislative half-measures simply won’t do in this time of national water crisis.

“The Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (WATER) Act would adequately meet the scope and scale of the crisis we face. The WATER Act would provide $35 billion annually to restore and rebuild drinking water and wastewater infrastructure systems, provide relief to communities facing water service shutoffs due to unaffordable bills, and create nearly one million well-paying jobs across the country. Grave crises require bold solutions. Congress and the Biden administration need to meet the challenge head-on by including the WATER Act in any infrastructure package they consider.”

Contact: Seth Gladstone – [email protected]

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