Sen. Boozman’s provision for water needs in bill signed by President

A new policy initiative authored by U.S. Senator John Boozman taking an innovative approach to modernizing critical water infrastructure became law when President Donald Trump signed the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. These water infrastructure projects are especially needed in rural areas often unable to afford upgrades to aging water systems.

The new approach—based off the Securing Required Funding for Water Infrastructure Now Act introduced by Boozman earlier this year —was included as a provision in the reauthorization of the nation’s water infrastructure programs. Boozman stood with the President in the Oval Office of the White House when he put his signature on the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018.Specifically, Boozman’s provision included in the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 will:

Combine the best aspects of state revolving funds with the leveraging power of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act to make the process easier and more affordable for states to meet their underserved or unmet water infrastructure needs;

Increase access to previously unavailable funding sources for small and medium-size communities, while removing high application fees which often prevent access to funds for rural communities;

Provide a direct and politically viable path to providing dramatic increases in funding for the nation’s SRF programs that will help address the backlog of long-awaited local infrastructure projects; and

Allow thousands of vetted water and wastewater projects to receive funding without the Environmental Protect Agency (EPA) having to process thousands of additional applications.

Boozman’s efforts have garnered praise from Arkansas and national water infrastructure advocates.

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