National Association of Water Companies Responds to State of the Union
Thursday, January 26, 2012
WASHINGTON - National Association of Water Companies executive director Michael Deane issued the following statement in response to President Obama's State of the Union address:
“NAWC applauds the President's emphasis on rebuilding our infrastructure, and water service is a key component of that. We must address the critical issues facing America's water and wastewater infrastructure now – not only because they affect the quality of life today, but because proactive planning and partnership-driven growth will contribute to a more sustainable future for generations to come.
“Even for someone as thoughtful as the President, it’s common for people to neglect the vital importance of water infrastructure projects due to their out-of-sight, out-of-mind nature, especially when they compete for funding with larger, more publicly visible construction projects like roads and bridges. But a dependence on water and wastewater service in our daily lives cannot be denied; we would bet that before the President carried his glass of water up to the podium to give the State of the Union, he took a shower and brushed his teeth. If only all Americans stopped and thought about how many times they twist on their faucets or drive past fire hydrants, there would be a positive shift in the way customers valued their community water system and what it takes to reliably deliver water and remove waste.
“The good news is that one of the areas where Republicans and Democrats in both Houses share values is by supporting innovative financing tools that will increase investment in the nation’s critical water infrastructure. The bi-partisan, bi-cameral proposal in S.939 and H.R. 1802 to remove limitations on tax-exempt private activity bonds (PABs) should be incorporated into any job creation or infrastructure bank legislation. This proposal is complementary to President Obama’s plan, enables water projects to better compete for funding and further facilitates public-private partnerships.
“These types of American value-based incentives are needed to accelerate water forward and unleash the billions of dollars in private capital just waiting to be put to use creating jobs, building essential water infrastructure, and increasing our country’s economic output.
“We are committed to engaging in this important dialogue with national leaders to ensure that the President’s ideas will work for the water industry as a whole, as well as for the 73 million Americans served by our members that make up the private water industry.”
Michael Deane is Executive Director of the National Association of Water Companies, and formerly served as U.S. EPA associate assistant administrator for the Office of Water. The NAWC’s mission is to promote the value of the private sector as the provider of quality and sustainable water services and innovative solutions. To learn more about NAWC, visit www.NAWC.org.
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