WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chair of the U.S. Senate Environment & Public Works’ (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water & Wildlife that has jurisdiction over the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act and author of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 (DWWIA)—which passed the Senate by a vote of 89-2 in April 2021—issued the following statement after Senate Republicans voted against proceeding to consideration of a forthcoming bipartisan infrastructure bill:
“While I voted to proceed to consideration of a bipartisan infrastructure bill, more will need to be done in order for me to support the current proposal that is being drafted. We have a unique opportunity to make significant investments in communities across the nation and improve people’s lives, but I can’t commit to supporting a final bill if it does not include full funding for my Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA) at $35.9 billion over the next five years.
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“The water situation is particularly pressing in Illinois, which has communities that overflow with sewage whenever there is a heavy rain and antiquated water infrastructure. Years of failure to make adequate investments in our water infrastructure has led us to this point and I hope my colleagues will join me in agreeing that now is the time to face this public health crisis head on.”
