Title
To urge The United States Congress to adopt legislation to update the Environmental Protection Agency's clean water affordability policy, and to support passage of "The Clean Water Affordability Act".
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus is committed to providing customers superior and dependable drinking water and sewer services that fully meet all regulations and set an industry standard for excellence; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus continues to make improvements to our water and sewer infrastructure in keeping with consent agreements reached with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and
WHEREAS, through the City of Columbus' Wet Weather Management Plan, nearly 1 billion ratepayer dollars have already been invested in improving our aging sanitary sewer system, and in total, the City will invest more than $2.5 billion to meet federal clean water mandates; and
WHEREAS, the current EPA affordability policy does not provide for a full and accurate representation of the financial impacts of clean water investment programs on communities struggling to meet federal regulations for improving their water and sewer infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, The Clean Water Affordability Act (S.3443) would require that implementation schedules for water quality-related improvements be tailored to an affected community's unique financial condition; and
WHEREAS, this legislation would also establish that a financial capability assessment consider more broadly each community's economic situation, and require that environmental improvements be structured to mitigate the potential adverse impact of their cost on distressed populations; and
WHEREAS, the bill authorizes $1.8 billion over five years for a grant program to help financially distressed communities update their aging infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, this bipartisan legislation is sponsored by Ohio Sens. George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown, and is endorsed by The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), which represents sewer districts across the country; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That Columbus City Council urges Congress to adopt legislation to update the Environmental Protection Agency's clean water affordability policy, and supports passage of "The Clean Water Affordability Act"