September 16, 2022
Shaheen was a lead negotiator of the water provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure law and helped steer record-level funding to address PFAS contamination.
Senator Hassan negotiated key parts of the bipartisan infrastructure law, including to strengthen coastal resiliency and help NH communities remove PFAS from drinking water.
Later today, Shaheen will join EPA Administrator for Region 1 Dr. David Cash at a PFAS treatment facility at Pease to discuss the funding as well as efforts to designate the most prevalent chemicals as hazardous under the law.
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01), applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of over $72 million in capitalization grants from the bipartisan infrastructure law awarded to New Hampshire. This funding was issued through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) and Clean Water SRF Programs and will be used towards water infrastructure updates and improvements.
The grants mark the first significant distribution of water infrastructure funds following the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Shaheen and Hassan helped negotiate. The law allocates more than $50 billion toward repairing the nation’s essential water infrastructure, in turn helping communities access clean, safe and reliable drinking water, prevent flooding, collect and treat wastewater to protect public health, and safeguard vital waterways. Shaheen specifically led negotiations around water infrastructure provisions with Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT). Senator Hassan also secured a provision in the legislation to better ensure that New Hampshire towns would be eligible for an advanced technology grant program that could be used to remove PFAS from drinking water.
Planned projects in New Hampshire that the law will fund include lead line replacement projects in Hanover and Claremont, as well as PFAS treatment projects in Londonderry and Jaffrey. A host of other projects are slated for funding in the state through this new increase in funding, which will significantly increase the ability of towns and cities to meet their infrastructure needs.
“Granite State families deserve reliable access to safe drinking water and clean rivers, lakes and streams,” said Senator Shaheen, who was the Democratic lead negotiator of water provisions on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. “That’s precisely why I fought to deliver the largest single investment in water ever made by the federal government – from updating crumbling water infrastructure to addressing harmful PFAS contamination. It’s thrilling to see what started a year ago as negotiations on how to make these investments turn into tangible results in our communities, and in this case, a historic $72 million for New Hampshire to improve water infrastructure. This funding, and the continued resources we’re seeing come back to New Hampshire from the bipartisan infrastructure bill, will have a meaningful impact for generations of Granite Staters to come.”
“The historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding is now reaching our states and will soon be invested in important water infrastructure projects across New England,” said EPA Regional Administrator David Cash. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law represents a once-in-a-lifetime investment in water infrastructure ensuring clean, safe water in communities across the region.”
“Safe drinking water is essential to Granite Staters’ health and our economy, which is why my colleagues and I made unprecedented investments in our water systems when we negotiated the bipartisan infrastructure law,” said Senator Hassan. “It is exciting to see federal funding through our law come to New Hampshire, where communities will put it to use to address PFAS contamination, replace lead lines, modernize drinking water and wastewater systems, and more. Granite Staters have raised concerns for years about water safety, and this funding will go a long way towards providing clean and reliable drinking water for all.”
“As I travel throughout the district I consistently hear from our communities about the challenges that aging water infrastructure poses to providing clean reliable drinking water and effective waste water treatment,” said Representative Kuster. “This funding represents a significant investment in the wellbeing of our cities and towns and will contribute to our economic competitiveness. This is critical, particularly for underinvested communities that need support to provide reliable water that its farmers, residents, and local businesses depend on.”
“Modern water infrastructure is critical to the health and strength of our communities. This funding from the EPA will upgrade our drinking water and wastewater systems, meeting the needs of our families and businesses,” said Representative Pappas. “Today’s announcement represents an important advancement for our water infrastructure, and I’ll continue working to ensure New Hampshire communities will reap the benefits.”
Senator Shaheen has spearheaded efforts in Congress to uncover the potential health effects related to PFAS contamination, respond to the chemical exposure and remediate polluted sites. Senator Shaheen has successfully included continued authorization and funding for the PFAS health impact study that she created in the 2018 defense legislation, which includes a pilot study at Pease. In addition to her leadership on the bipartisan infrastructure law and through her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee, as a senior member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Shaheen helped secure investments in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure for New Hampshire in fiscal year (FY) 2022 government funding legislation that was signed into law. Congress provided $1.638 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRFs) and $1.126 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund through the fiscal year 2022 government funding bill, including more than $18.6 million to the state to make additional water infrastructure updates. Shaheen built on this progress in Senate Democrats’ FY23 government funding proposal that was announced in July.
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Originally Appeared Here