The Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Congressional appropriations process ramped up this week as EPA Administrator Michael Regan testified before both the Senate and House Appropriations Committees.

On Tuesday, Administrator Regan testified before the full Senate Appropriations Committee, along with several other key Administration officials, on President Biden’s recently released infrastructure proposal, the American Jobs Plan. On Wednesday he testified before the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee on EPA’s FY22 budget request. Administrator Regan highlighted at each hearing the importance of investing in our nation’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.

Both hearings lay the groundwork as the Appropriations Committees begin drafting the FY22 appropriations bills, as well as their respective work as part of any comprehensive infrastructure bill this year. NACWA plans to continue working with the committees as the FY22 appropriations and infrastructure process moves forward.

In the House, NACWA is once again working with Reps. Napolitano (D-CA) and Katko (R-NY) on a bipartisan FY22 appropriations letter in which they are requesting Congress provide $5 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), more than double that of the current $1.639 annual level. Additionally, their request also includes substantial increases for the Drinking Water SRF (DWSRF) to $3 billion. 

Reps. Napolitano (D-CA) and Katko are inviting all members of the House to join them in signing onto this bipartisan appropriations request letter to ensure Congress provides important increases to the SRFs. NACWA has been working to help secure several cosigners of this request letter and strongly encourages its members to reach out to their respective Representatives and ask that they sign on by Tuesday, April 27th. A copy of the letter with Reps. Napolitano’s and Katko’s staff contact information can be found here to reference when doing outreach.

Please contact Jason Isakovic or Kristina Surfus, NACWA’s legislative staff, with any questions or to discuss further.