Vinyl Institute Comments on LIUNA House Testimony for Water Infrastructure Funding

March 3, 2020

Last week, a representative of the Laborer’s International Union of North America (LIUNA) testified before the U.S. House of Representative’s Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment about the need for dedicated water infrastructure funding.

“Our friends at the American Society of Civil Engineers have most recently given the Nation’s wastewater infrastructure a grade of D+,” commented David Mallino, LIUNA Legislative Director. “Which is woefully inadequate and something that Congress should urgently address. As we look to make historic investments in our nation’s water infrastructure, we should consider providing additional funding dedicated specifically to the replacement of failing wastewater and drinking water pipes. ”

It’s no secret that the country’s water infrastructure is in dire need of repair. Much of our nation’s water infrastructure was installed more than 50 years ago, and many communities have failing pipes that are more than 100 years old – decades more than their intended service life. With more than an estimated 240,000 water main breaks per year in the United States, we are wasting more than two trillion gallons of treated drinking water annually, according to the American Water Works Association (AWWA).

“Existing infrastructure is aging and critical failures are increasing at a rapid rate,” Mallino testified. “But the repairs and replacements we are seeking must also become more resilient to withstand the impacts of climate change. Properly constructed and maintained wastewater treatment systems are the most basic and critical infrastructure systems for protecting public health and the environment.”

Aside from building new drinking water infrastructure for the 2 million people who don’t currently have access, we also must face the daunting challenge of replacing thousands of miles of water and wastewater pipes that pose public health threats.

Two years ago the House Subcommittee on Water Resources unanimously passed H.R. 1497, the Water  Quality Protection and Job Creation Act, which authorized roughly $16.68 billion in water infrastructure investment over five years. Unfortunately, the bill was added to a host of other measures and never made it over to the Senate for consideration. We are optimistic that there will be a new opportunity with the new Congress to revisit investing in water infrastructure, and we’re grateful that we’re not alone in this fight, and that there are groups like LIUNA that share a similar stance and voice their support.