A bipartisan bill sponsored on March 13 by U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) would amend federal law to help upgrade the nation’s aging wastewater treatment plants and water recycling facilities.
“Water infrastructure investments across California and other states are critical to maintaining our access to clean and reliable water supplies,” Rep. Calvert said. “This legislation takes a common-sense step of reforming our federal permitting requirements to correspond to the time it takes to build water infrastructure projects.”
H.R. 2093, which is cosponsored by U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), would reform federal permitting standards for local wastewater treatment and water recycling projects, and extend the maximum term for certain permits issued under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.
“Every Californian and American deserves clean water and world-class infrastructure, but too often these projects are delayed,” said Rep. Garamendi. “Our bill upholds Clean Water Act protections while ensuring federal permits accurately reflect the construction timeframe of water projects, cutting the permitting backlog in half.”
The American Public Works Association endorsed H.R. 2093, which has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.