Monday, March 12, 2007

Water Quality Financing Act passes House

The House of Representatives approved HR 720,the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007, on Friday, which will fund a critical part of the effort to clean up the Great Lakes. Clean water is obviously essential to public health and the environment, and this puts us one step closer to cleaning up the mess.

HR 720 authorizes $14 billion over four years for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). The CWSRF provides low-interest loans to construct wastewater treatment facilities and other pollution-abatement projects. The vote count was 303 to 108.

Fully funding the CWSRF has been considered a critical part of the 2005 Great Lakes Regional Collaboration agreement designed to end the flow of wastewater from flowing into the lakes by 2020.

Another water-sources bill (HR 700), which passed, 368-59, on Thursday, authorizes $125 million for local governments, water agencies and non-governmental organizations. See related article below.

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