As Congressional appropriators ramp up the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) appropriations process, NACWA is working closely with Members of Congress and key appropriations committee staff to secure strong clean water funding and provisions in the Interior and Environment bill, which funds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) programs.

NACWA recently submitted its comprehensive FY23 clean water programmatic requests to Senate and House appropriators in the form of identical testimony, requesting funding for important EPA clean water programs.

The requests include increased funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Control Grants, the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program, Integrated Planning (IP), climate resilience, and workforce development grants among others.  It also urges strong funding for EPA’s low-income water assistance program to begin assisting households in maintaining access to affordable and reliable public clean and drinking water services.

The FY23 annual funding will be on top of the $55 Billion in funds already appropriated for water investments as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This is a key point, as BIL was envisioned as being a major influx of investment on top of anticipated annual funding. The Appropriations process is how we hold Congress accountable to that promise.

Additionally, in the House, NACWA once again worked with Reps. Napolitano (D-CA) and Katko (R-NY) on a bipartisan FY23 appropriations letter in which they are requesting Congress provide $2.75 billion respectively for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water SRF (DWSRF), which is the level authorized in the BIL. The letter was signed by 78 members of Congress and has been sent to House Appropriations Committee leadership.

NACWA also worked with Reps. Napolitano (D-CA) and Gibbs (R-OH), and Latta (R-OH) on appropriations letters requesting dedicated FY23 funding to further facilitate EPA’s Integrated Planning (IP) activities, including training and outreach, and ensure local communities are able to fully utilize this critical tool. 

NACWA is continuing to meet with both Senate and House appropriations committee staff in the coming weeks to discuss these requests further and ensure the public clean water sector continues to build on the positive gains made over the previous fiscal years. 

NACWA strongly encourages all utility members to begin outreach to their Senators and Representatives immediately to help Members of Congress and their staff understand the impact funding has for their states and districts for the FY23 budget cycle. When contacting your Members of Congress, request information about how your utility can support their efforts through the FY23 appropriations process and please feel free to share NACWA’s FY23 appropriations testimony.

Without the efforts of NACWA’s members, none of these federal funding opportunities would have been possible. Thank you for your efforts!

Please contact NACWA’s legislative staff, with any questions or to discuss further.