Water Infrastructure Financing Act

Bill: 110-s-3500
Sponsor: Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2008-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Agricultural pollution
Agriculture and Food
Authorization
Bonds
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Depressed areas
Economics and Public Finance
Environmental Protection
Environmental technology
Federal aid to water pollution control
Federal aid to water resources development
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government lending
Governmental investigations
Infrastructure
Potable water
Reservoirs
Revolving funds
Science, Technology, Communications
Sewage disposal
Sewerage
Storm drains
Technological innovations
Waste water treatment
Water conservation
Water pollution control
Water quality
Water supply
Water treatment plants
Water use
Wetlands

Summary:
action_date: 2008-09-16
text: 
Water Infrastructure Financing Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to: (1) authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a competitive grant program to provide technical assistance to small and medium treatment works on wastewater and stormwater approaches; (2) expand the list of projects eligible for state water pollution control revolving loan fund (commonly known as the Clean Water State Revolving Fund or CWSRF) assistance; (3) provide assistance, including loan forgiveness, for disadvantaged communities; (4) allow states to forgive repayment of a portion of a loan for alternative approaches to wastewater and stormwater controls; (5) establish a priority system for providing financial assistance from the CWSRF; (6) allow a transfer of capitalization grants between revolving loan funds for water pollution control and safe drinking water treatment; (7) extend through FY2012 the authorization of appropriations for CWSRF; and (8) revise provisions concerning sewer overflow control grants, including by extending the authorization of appropriations for such grants through FY2012.

Directs the Administrator to establish a grant program for watershed restoration through the protection or improvement of water quality.

Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to: (1) require the Administrator to develop an implementation plan for contaminant prevention, detection, and response and extend funding for such activities through FY2012; (2) establish a priority system for providing assistance to enable small public water systems to achieve and maintain compliance with national primary drinking water regulation; (3) require the Administrator to give grants to provide technical assistance for the design, operation, construction, and maintenance of household wells and small shared well-systems that provide drinking water; (4) expand the list of projects eligible for state drinking water treatment revolving loan funds (commonly known as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund or DWSRF); and (5) extend the authorization of appropriations for the DWSRF through FY2012.

Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish a grant program to assist community water systems in meeting the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act; (2) authorize appropriations for lead service line replacement in the District of Columbia; (3) establish a grant program to research and develop the use of innovative and alternative technologies to improve water quality or drinking water supply; (4) establish a nationwide demonstration grant program for water quality enhancement and management; (5) provide capitalization grants to states for agricultural pollution control technology revolving funds; (6) identify ways to improve the state revolving fund review process; and (7) enter into an arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences for a cost of service study of public water systems and treatment works and a study on the management of water supply, wastewater, and stormwater in urban areas and surrounding communities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2008-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate