Central ND News

U.S. Representative Kelly Armstrong (ND-AL) has joined Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) in penning a bipartisan, bicameral letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. The letter addresses concerns regarding federal financing for the nation's water infrastructure.

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) have served as primary financing programs for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects for nearly three decades. Since 2021, more than $3.7 billion has been redirected from CWSRF and DWSRF to fund Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending (CPF/CDS). While CPF/CDS projects are critical investments supporting local water infrastructure needs, diverting money away from State Revolving Funds leads to significant funding shortfalls for important state water infrastructure projects.

In their letter, the Members urge Appropriators to establish a more sustainable funding source for critical water projects that does not divert funds from essential SRF-financed projects.

“The Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds have been critical to expand access to clean water, modernize aging water infrastructure, and safeguard our public health,” wrote the Members. “If funding shortfalls and diversions continue, a major lifeline of our federal water infrastructure funding will run dry at a time when costs for infrastructure, design, and planning are skyrocketing.”

Pettersen spearheaded this initiative after hearing from Colorado's water experts about the devastating impact these funding shortfalls could have on local water infrastructure.

“Robust funding through the annual appropriations bills is essential for SRF borrowers to maintain their access to financing for critical infrastructure and ensure clean water for years to come,” said Keith McLaughlin, Executive Director of the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority.

Chane Polo, Deputy Director of the Colorado Water Congress added: “The Colorado Water Congress has long supported legislation and appropriations processes to fund our nation’s clean water and drinking water infrastructure. It is our policy to support efforts that maximize the ability of water funding entities...to finance water projects.”

Leo Evans, Canon City Water Public Works Director noted: “The changes to the amounts of revolving fund financing available...have had a direct impact on Cañon City...Restoring program funding back to original levels envisioned in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law would help Cañon City ensure we can bring benefits of this program to our community.”

The letter has received endorsements from multiple organizations including Colorado Water Congress, National Governors Association (NGA), American Water Works Association (AWWA), National Association of Counties (NACo), among others.

The full text of the letter emphasizes two main requests: increasing SRF funds accounting for CPF/CDS redirection and providing a sustainable CPF/CDS funding source that does not compromise essential SRF-financed projects.

---