WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., today reported that the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) unanimously approved legislation that would boost New Mexico's payments under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Funds. Udall, a member of the committee, advocated for the legislation to provide the state with $24 million for the next fiscal year and $150 million over the next five. The state received $3.5 million in fiscal year 2008. Clean Water Act funding goes towards wastewater treatment infrastructure and sewer line construction and upgrades; Safe Drinking Water Act funding goes towards drinking water treatment infrastructure and water lines.
"In New Mexico, as in much of the arid West, federal funding for water projects is not a luxury; it is a necessity," said Udall. "By approving this legislation, the committee recognized New Mexico's need for water infrastructure and provided a large and significant boost in resources, and it did so with strong bipartisan support. This is good news for the future of our state."
Under the EPW-approved legislation, New Mexico's share of Clean Water Act funding will rise from 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent -- a 50 percent boost. Additionally, the legislation would authorize a greater than four-fold increase in Clean Water Act funding for the next fiscal year. That funding will then nearly double, to $6 billion, over the following four years. The legislation boosts Drinking Water Act funding by 50 percent for the next fiscal year and provides a six-fold increase over the next five years.
