Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has introduced a bipartisan bill with Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) streamlining approval for small water projects nationwide.
The Community Water Project Acceleration Act streamlines the federal review requirements for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works projects with limited federal funding, a system modeled after that used for federal highway projects.
The bill creates an exemption to water projects from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) if the federal contribution is less than $6 million, if it is less than 15% of the total project cost, and only if the work is being conducted by a non-federal sponsor.
"In Arizona and across the West, communities need reliable water infrastructure and shouldn't have to wait months or even years to put federal funds to use because of unnecessary red tape," said Sen. Kelly in a press release. "This is a commonsense fix that makes it easier, not harder, for local projects to move forward faster while protecting the environment."
Sen. Lummis, the bill's cosponsor, touted the effort, commenting, "Washington's permitting delays have real consequences for western communities that depend on reliable water infrastructure." "There is no reason local water projects should face years of federal review when the funding and local support are already in place, and every month of unnecessary delay is a month rural communities across the west go without the water system it needs to thrive."
"Our legislation cuts through that bureaucracy by applying a model already proven in federal highway projects and is exactly the kind of practical, results-driven legislation western states deserve," he concluded.
In July, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), introduced the Water Infrastructure Modernization Act, which authorizes $50 million in grants for communities to develop and invest in tech that detects and tracks water loss and leaks, calculates pipe integrity, improves storage methods, and prepares for extreme weather.
