Transcripts For CSPAN3 Hearing Focuses On Water Systems Impr

In illinoisillinois illinois ca tennessee recently testified. Id like to hall kacall the to order and thank our witnesses for joining today. I know its early. The one thing thats certain about us in washington d. C. Is that theres uncertainty around us, so because of other meetings scheduled and planned, we ask for you to come early. And i personally appreciate it. It shows you the interest of our colleagues that theyre here this early. So thats great. No matter how many miles youve first of all, we have folks as far away as alaska and as close as pennsylvania. No matter how many miles youve traveled to be with us, were grateful for the time and financial sacrifice to share your expertise with us today. Even though they did not have send someone to present oral the testimony, i appreciate the Environmental Protection agency providing us with written statement to include in our hearing record. I ask that unanimous consent without objection. So ordered. Im also pleased to announce the agency agreed to take written questions from members for our hearing record. This is highly unusual. We obviously consider the agency an important player whose technical experience and input is critical to the quality of our work. I now recognize myself five minutes for giving an opening statement. Our panel looks at the broadly water Drinking Water and infrastructure as to questions as to what is necessary for the federal government to do in terms of support of these systems to meet future needs. The discussion draft which is subject of the hearing is meant to build on the testimony from our last hearing to help our Sub Committee think for precisely about what items should be prioritized for legislation and how they should be addressed in the legislation. Importantly, the discussion draft is not a finite universe of the issues the committee is open to considering. It is a true baseline for conversation and invitation for feedback or refinements or suggested alternative approaches and and opportunity to make the case for including additional issues. Some of us are curious why one provision or another is not added. I hope we can talk about those things today. I suspect we might be able to find agreement in some of the issues after weve had some time to find out objectives and reflect on the best ways to balance the ways of water, consumers. Let me take a minute to explain items in the discussion draft. Why they are there. Based on oral testimony and written responses for the record, the Water Utility groups that testified at the hearing last hearing talked about the importance of partnerships for addressing growth and compliance issues. The discussion draft proposes language to allow contract arrangements for management of Engineering Services that will get a water system into compliance. Under questioning many of the witnesses mentioned the Important Role that Asset Management can play in addressing short and longterm water system needs. But that mandating this requirement would be challenge. The discussion draft has states consider how to encourage best practices and Asset Management and has epa update technical and other training materials. We received testimony on the need to further aid disadvantaged communities. The discussion draft increases the amount a state can dedicate to disadvantaged communities to 35 of their annual capitalization grant. We received testimony on the need to increase funding for the Drinking Water state Revolving Loan fund. And the public Water Systems supervision grant. But not specific recommendations about what a real estatic number is or whether budgetary cuts will offset the increases. The discussion. It leaves in blank to law a more specific conversation to occur. This will not be easy. Some of the conversations will be difficult. We will have to have them in an open and honest manner, but that is not new. Anyone who has been around our Sub Committee for a while knows we have a reputation for tackling challenging issues. We are at the beginning of this journey with the discussion draft as a baseline, and were not close to the finish line. With that i yield back my remaining time and yield to my friend from new york, the Ranking Member. Thank you. Thank you to our witnesses for being here on what is apparently a busy morning in the house. We can all agree that aging Drinking Water Drinking Water systems can hold back Economic Growth and threaten Public Health. These problems will only get worse if we continue the decades long trend of neglect. I know we have limited time, so i will not restate all the details of our growing National Need to invest in Drinking Water systems and update the safe Drinking Water act. Suffice it to say, the need is immensely great. The subcommittee has been building a tremendous record that more than justifies the need for action. Mr. Chair, appreciate you holding this hearing, and offering the discussion draft to bring attention to our hidden infrastructure, which has been out of sight and regrettably, out of mind for far too long. This draft responds to many of the issues that have been identified in previous hearings, the need to reauthorize the Drinking Water srf and the public Drinking Water Supervision Program as well as Asset Management plans, greater watersource protection and support for disadvantaged communities. With that said, i truly believe we can improve upon the draft before us today, which will ensure strong, bp bipartisan support moving forward. There are a number of democratic bills that have already been introduced that can help inform these efforts. The aqua act includes provisions on how to further assist disadvantaged communities. And better incentivize Asset Management plans. It would also helpful fill a stated goal of this administration, mandating buy american requirements. Promulgate much needed national standards. The bill also looks to reduce lead in schools, as well as other important sidwa updates. Mr. Peters has a bill to provide grants to assist systems with resiliency, sourceWater Protection and security in the face of changing hydraulic conditions. Such as droughts, Sea Level Rise and other emerging pressures on systems. We do know the National Need is growing. 384 billion over the next two decades to maintain current levels of services. We need to have the vision to acknowledge that this does not account for stresses, environmental and financial that will continue to get worse if we is simply do nothing. Finally, the Drinking Water srf has been a tremendous success. Im grateful that share shimkus, but as we will hear today, the draft includes unspecified funding levels. As a candidate, President Trump called for tripling funding for both srf programs, the aqua act poe poses levels that are in line with that, with what states handled following the recovery act. I think these are good targets to start negotiations. We must recognize that local governments are struggling. Significant amounts of projects go unfunded each year and the status quo of federal support will simply not reduce the massive and growing levels of need. Excuse me. It is time for the federal government to step up and contribute its fair share. Mr. Chair, i would end by asking for a commitment to sit down with our side, learn more about some of our proposals and Work Together to make this a truly bipartisan effort that moves us forward. We had close cooperation on the brownfields reauthorization draft. I think we can get to a similar place on Drinking Water. With that i yield back. The chair recognizes mr. Walden for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman. In january we began a review. We spoke about all things that could affect water affordability, reliability, and safety. Today we take the next steps in our deliberative process by reviewing a discussion draft and related ideas from stakeholders to formulate policy on Drinking Water, stateRevolving Loan funding and supervision grants. Well also examine efforts to improve Asset Management by utilities and other ways to lift paperwork burdens and improve systems delivery of safe Drinking Water. Both sides of the aisle support making newer and larger investments in our nations infrastructure. And i agree we need to help ensure these assets support the great quality of life americans enjoy. However, in doing so, we must be careful to select Wise Investments and create diversified options that make sense for Water Systems for states and for consumers. Its important for us to tackle this job seriously for a couple of reasons. As we learned at the last hearing, the countrys Drinking Water Delivery Systems are facing the challenges of older age. We learned from the Water Utilities and other stakeholders the importance of partnerships for addressing growth and compliance issues. The discussion draft proposes language to allow contractual arrangements for management and Engineering Services and get our water system in compliance. We welcome feedback on that approach. We also received testimony on the need to increase funding for the Drinking Water state Revolving Loan fund and water supervision grants, but not specific recommendations about what a realistic number is, or whether budgetary cuts will offset these increases. The last couple of years the appropriated levels have been consistent. The appropriations for the Drinking Water Revolving Loan fund were last authorized in 2003. Thats long enough. Its time to reassert this committees proper role in authorizing our statutes and realign the focus of the epa and other agencies back to their core missions. In this case, ensuring the provision of safe Drinking Water for our nations consumers. We look forward to continuing the dialogue on this as our Committee Process continues. I want to welcome all of you here today, our witnesses who took time and traveled from far and wide to be with us to comment on this discussion draft, and thats what it is. Your input is important and we would appreciate as specific recommendations as youre able to give on these important issues. Again, thank you all for being here. We all care deeply about Drinking Water, safe Drinking Water, and helping our communities achieve that for all of our citizens in the country, and with that, mr. Chair, i yield back the balance of my time. Chair now recognizes the Ranking Member of the full committee, mr. Pallone. For five minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman, thank you. The safety of our Drinking Water is an incredibly important topic which deserves more time than we have at todays hearing. At our last Drinking Water hearing we heard broad agreement that we need to recognize the Revolving Fund and increase the funding. My democratic colleagues have been saying this for years, so im encouraged that republicans on this subcommittee now seem to agree. Unfortunately, this rushed hearing is not sufficient to address this issue. We have great ideas, but theyre not reflected in the barebones discussion draft. We need a bipartisan effort to modernize the safe Drinking Water act, but in preparing this discussion draft, your staff didnt consult with us. We were eager to work with you, but we were told without explanation that such discussions could only happen after this hearing. So before us today is a discussion draft that in my opinion fails to measure up to the severity of the problem. It simply does not meet the needs of public Water Systems and the communities they serve. The draft contains nothing to address the growing problem of lead in Drinking Water in homes and in schools. It does nothing to improve the regulatory process and better protect Public Health from new and emerging pollutant classes and it does nothing to improve transparency and restore Consumer Confidence in the safety of our tap water, and there is no commitment to increase funding. So i am disappointed in the funding draft. And i urge my colleagues to look at the solutions in hr1071, the aqua act of 2017, and hr1068, the safe Drinking Water amendments of 2017. I want to thank our witnesses for coming and apologize that we dont have more Time Available but i also want to express my frustration at the lack of a witness from the epa. This subcommittee cannot produce meaningful legislation to reauthorize the state Revolving Fund and strengthen the safe water act without their input. So its clear we need to have another hearing. Safe Drinking Water is simply too important, and i hope we can start to Work Together on a bipartisan bill to tackle these serious problems. I yield back, mr. Chairman. Gentleman yields back his time. All members having concluded their Opening Statements, the chair would like to remind members that pursuant to committee rules, all members Opening Statements will be made part of the record. I want to thank all of our witnesses for being here today and taking the time to testify before the subcommittee. Todays witnesses will have the opportunity to give Opening Statements, followed by a round of questions from members. Our witness panels for todays hearing are in front of us. What ill do is recognize you individually for five minutes. Your full statements submitted for the record, and as you can see, theres a lot of interest on our side. So if you get too far over the five minutes, i might start tapping the gavel to get you to wind up. And before i take more time, let me just start by recognizing mr. Morton, president and ceo of the California Water services group. On behalf of the National Association of Water Companies you testified here before. Were glad to have you back. Youre recognized for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Good morning. Im marty kropelniki. President and ceo of cal water. We provide water and waste Water Services to approximately 2 Million People in the great state of california, hawaii, new mexico, and washington, state of washington. Im the president of the National Association of Water Companies, which im here representing today. Our members have provided Water Services for more than 200 years and today serve approximately 25 of the u. S. Population. Nawc applauds you. Mr. Chairman and this subcommittee for highlighting americas Drinking Water infrastructure needs and putting forward a discussion draft amendment to the safe Drinking Water act to review. We are all working together towards the same outcome, safe, reliable, sustainable, highquality Drinking Water which is critical to every person, every community and every business in this country. Suffice to say, that substantial portions of the utility sector face significant challenges. The nations Drinking Water infrastructure recently received a d by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The American Waterworks Association projects that 1 trillion will be needed to invest in infrastructure throughout 2035 to keep up with aging infrastructure and population growth. More honestly, recent reports by the National Resources Events Council shows that one fourth of people get water from