Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has joined colleagues from both sides of aisle in voting to approve the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021, legislation to upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, improve the health of families across the nation, and address environmental justice. As a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Whitehouse has long been active in pushing for water infrastructure investments and helped craft the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act, which passed out of his Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously. The bill passed the Senate yesterday in an 89-2 vote and now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Every single Rhode Islander should be able to safely drink water from their tap,” said Whitehouse. “I helped craft this legislation to ramp up much-needed investments in replacing lead pipes and service lines, protecting wastewater facilities from climate change, and improving drinking water quality.”
The legislation makes significant investments in Environmental Protection Agency grant programs and revolving loan funds that support the development and maintenance of the nation’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The bill will authorize the investment of more than $35 billion in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects across the country. Eligible projects will focus on upgrading aging infrastructure, replacing lead pipes and service lines, investing in new technologies, and providing assistance for marginalized communities. The bill authorizes nearly $30 billion in funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund and an additional $6 billion in grant funding.
The Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act will also establish a new Clean Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program to help fortify public water infrastructure from rising sea levels and other effects of climate change.
Whitehouse also introduced the Home Lead Safety Tax Credit Act of 2021 yesterday. The legislation would provide refundable tax credits for homeowners, landlords, and tenants to remove lead from homes. The tax credits are worth up to $4,000 to cover half the cost of abating lead hazards in paint, pipes, or soil. Whitehouse’s bill could help remediate more than one million houses and apartments while creating over 62,000 temporary jobs, according to an estimate from the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative.
Whitehouse has a long history of fighting lead contamination. While serving as Rhode Island Attorney General in 1999, Whitehouse initiated legal action to hold lead paint manufacturers accountable for the hazards of their products.
