A major, $12 billion water infrastructure bill awaits President Obama’s signature after Congress approved new legislation in the final hours before leaving Washington for the holidays.
Congress passed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act—formerly “WRDA”—with overwhelming bipartisan support.
The legislation “will make important investments to upgrade our nation’s water infrastructure, and support manufacturing and construction jobs,” AEM President Dennis Slater said in a statement.
“The bipartisan support this legislation enjoyed in both the House and the Senate offers a roadmap for our elected leaders and the new administration to work together to honor their word with voters and pass a major infrastructure bill in 2017,” Slater added.
Water infrastructure legislation was a priority for congressional leaders, though its final passage stalled over disagreements over whether to include assistance to Flint, Michigan to address its beleaguered water system.
An AEM poll this fall found that voters overwhelmingly support the improvements to water infrastructure encompassed in the WIIN Act.
AEM joins other industry partners in hoping the bipartisan effort on the WIIN Act will portend future work on infrastructure in the next Congress.
