Dear Representative:
On behalf of the AFL-CIO, I ask you to support H.R. 1497, the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2019 and advance the legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives.
The need for wastewater investments is well documented; as a result of combined sewer overflows, over 22 billion gallons of raw, untreated sewage enters the Great Lakes every year, spoiling the places where we fish, swim, and find drinking water. Congress must address this environmental and human health problem by investing in wastewater infrastructure, including containment and treatment of these combined-sewer overflows in the Great Lakes region.
The Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act builds on the nation’s most robust and successful program in wastewater infrastructure, the State Revolving Fund program. The State Revolving Funds have successfully delivered water- and wastewater-infrastructure funding to communities of all sizes for a generation.
Leaders from both parties have identified the problem and worked successfully over the years to craft bipartisan solutions to address those needs. Enactment of this bill, which includes new, higher authorization levels, is a critical step to guide the nation’s investment in wastewater infrastructure.
This legislation will help to rebuild Americas’ infrastructure, create good-paying jobs, clean our water, and strengthen our communities by making investments in clean-water infrastructure.
We encourage you to support H.R. 1497, the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act.
Sincerely.
William Samuel, Director
Government Affairs