Congressional committees continue to craft a $3.5 trillion, 10-year spending bill this week. The bill, which is being dubbed the Build Back Better Act, aims to expand education, health care, and childcare support, address climate change, and increase investments in various types of infrastructure. Congressional committees, including the House Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee, began marathon markups last week of the Build Back Better Act, and work continues this week in those and other committees, including the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Some key highlights of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s section of the bill include:
$5 billion for EPA’s Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants;
$30 billion for lead service line replacement projects through the drinking water State Revolving Fund (SRF);
$500 million for grants to community water systems to improve their resilience to natural disasters;
$100 million for Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) grants to states;
$700 million for grants to reduce lead in school drinking water including:
$500 million for grants to assist schools in the installation and maintenance of lead filtration stations;
$150 million for grants for school and childcare program lead testing; and
$50 million for grants to schools for the replacement of school drinking water fountains that may contain lead.
$100 million to implement eligible projects under the Indian Reservation Drinking Water program created by America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA);
$100 million for grants pursuant to a program created under AWIA to encourage the extension of drinking water service into underserved areas affected by natural disasters;
$200 million for grants to the Assistance for Disadvantaged Communities program;
$100 million for grants to cover the cost of contaminant monitoring;
$100 million for technical assistance for small public water systems; and
$500 million for grants to HHS to states and Tribes to assist low-income water customers.
NEMWI will continue to monitor all developments to the Build Back Better Act as they occur.
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