WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), today highlighted the growing support across the country for the passage of S.914, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA) , bipartisan legislation from the EPW Committee on the Senate floor. It would be the first infrastructure bill passed by the Senate this Congress. Yesterday, the White House announced its support for the legislation, which advances the goals of President Biden's American Jobs Plan.
Environmental advocates, labor unions, and business leaders are calling for the passage of DWWIA because it will invest in critical infrastructure, spur job creation and economic growth, and help ensure that all Americans have access to clean, safe water.
Here's what environmental advocates, local leaders, labor unions, and industry and business experts are saying in support of the bill. A full list of supporting organizations and what they're saying about the legislation can be found here.
“The Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 would authorize long overdue improvements to our water infrastructure and at the same time, give us the opportunity to address the needs of disadvantaged communities that have suffered from inadequate infrastructure investments for decades."
- AFL-CIO
“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports S. 914, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021. This bipartisan legislation would provide important funding and policy solutions to address the water and wastewater challenges facing communities and companies across the United States."
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
“This legislation will help communities focus on upgrading aging infrastructure, address the threat of climate change, invest in new technologies, and provide assistance to marginalized populations. Infrastructure investments like the ones supported by S. 914 can help the United States recover from of the economic impacts of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. These investments will have direct economic, environmental and public health impacts, and LIUNA commends the bipartisan commitment to significant increases in funding for water infrastructure."
- Laborers' International Union of North America
“The bill is an important step on the path towards providing everyone in this country with access to clean, safe, and affordable water. It…will help to provide critical resources to communities across the country."
- League of Conservation Voters * Environmental Defense Fund * National Wildlife Federation * Natural Resources Defense Council * Earthjustice * Advocates for a Clean Lake Erie * Alliance for the Great Lakes * American Littoral Society * American Rivers * American Sustainable Business Council * Anthropocene Alliance * Black Women's Health Imperative * Cahaba River Society * Clean Water Action * Clean Water Action Minnesota * Endangered Habitats League * Environment America * Environmental Law & Policy Center * For Love of Water (FLOW) * Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association * GreenLatinos * Healthy Gulf * Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, USA-JPIC * Illinois Council of Trout Unlimited * Leadership Team, U.S. Province of the School Sisters of St. Francisisters of St. Francis, United * Milwaukee Riverkeeper * National Coalition for Legislation on Affordable Water (NCLAWATER) * National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association * National Parks Conservation Association * Ohio Environmental Council * Onondaga Audubon * Religious Coalition for the Great Lakes * Sierra Club * Southern Environmental Law Center * Surfrider Foundation * Waterkeeper Alliance
