Bill Watch—111th Congress

Amended Dec. 21, 2010.

H.R. 1—American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Obama Signs Stimulus Bill
Transportation Secretary Discusses Economic Stimulus Package
House Passes Stimulus Bill
Drinking Water Not Getting as Much of Stimulus Package as Advocates Hoped
Congress to Consider Recovery Bill
Drinking Water Investment Could Create 400,000 Jobs
Drinking Water News

H.R. 537 - Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2009

H.R. 651—Northeast Corridor Rail Tunnel Safety Act
Amtrak May Benefit from Tunnel Bill

H.R. 1145--National Water Research and Development Initiative Act of 2009
House Passes National Water Research and Development Initiative Act
National Water Research & Development Initiative Reported Out of House Committee

H.R. 1262—Water Quality Investment Act of 2009
House Passes Water Quality Investment Act of 2009

H.R. 1682--Bridge Life Extension Act of 2009
Bridge Bill Could Require States to Address Corrosion

H.R. 1770—Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2009
Congress Considers Dam Safety Bills

H.R. 2104--Safety, Efficiency, and Accountability in Transportation Projects Through Public Inspection Act of 2009
Bill Would Require Surface Transportation Inspections by Public Employees

H.R. 2164—Federal Streetcar Revitalization Act of 2009
Bill Introduced to Bring Back the Streetcar

H.R. 2232
Bill Would Create National Tunnel Inspection Program

H.R. 2521—National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2009
Another National Infrastructure Bank Bill Proposed

H.R. 2707—National Freight Mobility Infrastructure Act
Bill Introduced to Improve, Tax Freight Transportation

H.R. 2847 – Jobs for Main Street Act
House Passes Jobs for Main Street Act

H.R. 2997 - Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
Farm Bill Includes Environmental Funding
Water Roundup

H.R. 3183 - Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act
Water Legislation — recycling, research, efficiency
Water Roundup

H.R. 3202—Water Protection and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Water Infrastructure Funding Bill Introduced

H.R. 3747 - Water Efficiency, Conservation and Adaptation Act of 2009
Clean Energy and Drinking Water Bills Working Way through Congress

H.R. 3598 - Energy and Water Research Integration Act
Water Legislation — recycling, research, efficiency
Water Roundup



H.R. 3727 - Drinking Water Adaptation, Technology, Education, and Research (WATER) Act
Environmental, Energy Bills Introduced in Congress

H.R. 4202 – Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act
Blog coverage of H.R. 4202 from OpenCongress
Green Infrastructure Bill Introduced

H.R. 5679 – End the Stimulus Advertisement Act
What’s Up in Congress

H.R 5892 - Water Resources Development Act of 2010
Congressional Activity
H.R.5892 - Water Resources Development Act of 2010

H.R. 5897 - Economic Revitalization and Innovation Act of 2010
Congressional Activity

H.R. 5899 - A Roadmap for America’s Energy Future
Congressional Activity

H.R. 5922 - Small-Scale Hydropower Enhancement Act of 2010
Congressional Activity

H.R. 6182 – additional SRF funding for smart growth states
National News

H.R. 6190 - Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2010, Part III
National News

H.R. 6519 – Railroad Hours of Service Act of 2010
111th Congress Wrapping Up

S. 732—Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2009
Congress Considers Dam Safety Bills

S. 841 – Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2010
111th Congress Wrapping Up

S. 1318—Axe the Stimulus Plaques Act
Bill Would Axe Stimulus Plaques

S. 1498—Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2009
Senate to Debate Extension of Transportation Programs

S. 1711 - Water Efficiency and Conservation Investment Act of 2009
Environmental, Energy Bills Introduced in Congress

S. 1712 - Water Efficiency, Conservation and Adaptation Act of 2009
Clean Energy and Drinking Water Bills Working Way through Congress

S. 1713 - Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration (WECHAR) Act of 2009
Environmental, Energy Bills Introduced in Congress

S. 1733 – Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
Clean Energy and Drinking Water Bills Working Way through Congress

S. 3262 – Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2010
America has Huge Need for Water Infrastructure Improvements

S. 3553 – Permanent Prevention of Asian Carp Act of 2010
What’s Up in Congress

S. 3561 – Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act of 2010
What’s Up in Congress

S. 3736
Congressional Activity

Bill Watch - 112th Congress

Amended July 28, 2013

H.R. 1—Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
Continuing Resolution Moves to Senate
House Passes Appropriations Bill

H.R. 7 - American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012

Congress Debates Infrastructure, Jobs Bills

H.R. 8 – American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012

Infrastructure in the Fiscal Cliff Deal

H.R. 267 – Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013

Infrastructure & Environment Roundup: Hydropower Bill Reported Out of Committee

H.R. 328 - Safety, Efficiency, and Accountability in Transportation Projects Through Public Inspection Act of 2011
Bill Would Require Public Employee Inspection of Federally-Funded Transportation Projects

H.R. 389 - End the Stimulus Advertisement Act
Still Trying to Axe the Plaques

H.R. 505 – The Balancing Act

In Congress: Balancing Act

H.R. 711 – Highway Trust Fund Reform Act of 2013

Around America: Bills Pile Up While Bills Pile Up

H.R. 765 – Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2013

Around America: Bills Pile Up While Bills Pile Up

H.R. 855 – Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act of 2011
Environment & Infrastructure Bills Introduced in Congress

H.R. 892 – Stop Asian Carp Act
Environment & Infrastructure Bills Introduced in Congress

H.R. 910 - Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011
In Congress

H.R. 935 – Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2013 

News Brief: Bill Would Limit Water Discharge Permitting of Pesticides

H.R. 945 - Streamlining America’s Various Energy Needs Act
Energy Bills Introduced

H.R. 947
Bill Would Authorized Reimbursement to States for International Water Projects

H.R. 952 - Energy Critical Elements Renewal Act of 2011
Energy Bills Introduced

H.R. 1079 - Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2011
In Congress

H.R. 1123 - TIFIA Expansion Act of 2011
In Congress

H.R. 1189 – Clean Water Affordability Act of 2011
Bill Would Make Water Project Financing More Affordable

H.R. 1705 - Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011
Activity in Congress

H.R 1872 - Employment Protection Act 2011
Activity in Congress
In Congress

H.R. 2018 - Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011
Activity in Congress

H.R. 2055 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012
Bill Quickies

H.R. 2594 - European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011T&I Committee Marks Up, Approves Bills

H.R. 2738 - Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2011
Water News

H.R. 2845 - Pipeline Safety, Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011
T&I Committee Marks Up, Approves Bills

H.R. 2887 - Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011
Congress Passes Bill to Extend Transportation Programs
House Passes Transportation Bill

H.R. 2924 – 414 Plan Act of 2011
Bill Would Suspend Requirements for Highway Projects

H.R. 3259 - National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2011
National Infrastructure Bank Bill

H.R. 3638 – Act for the 99%
Bill Quickies

H.R. 3680 - Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2011
Bill Quickies

H.R. 3864 - American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Financing Act of 2012

Congress Debates Infrastructure, Jobs Bills

H.R. 4348 – Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21)

A Look Back, 112 Congress Passed Transportation Bills

S. 335 – Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2013

Around America: Bills Pile Up While Bills Pile Up

S. 402 – National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2011
A Real National Infrastructure Bank Proposal

S. 471 – Stop Asian Carp Act
Environment & Infrastructure Bills Introduced in Congress

S. 630 - Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Promotion Act of 2011
Activity in Congress

S. 652 – Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development
The BUILD Act
In Congress

S. 1108 - 10 Million Solar Roofs Act
Bill Quickies

S. 1115 - Green Infrastructure and Clean Water Act of 2010
Activity in Congress

S. 1142 - Geothermal Exploration and Technology Act of 2011
Bill Quickies

S. 1292 - Employment Protection Act 2011
Activity in Congress
In Congress

S. 1343 - Energy and Water Integration Act of 2011
Congress Keeps Rolling

S. 1510 - Clean Energy Financing Act of 2011
Bill Would Create Clean Energy Deployment Agency

S. 1525 – An original bill to extend Federal-aid highway programsPresident Calls for Transportation Funding to Stimulate Jobs Growth

S. 1549 – American Jobs Act of 2011
American Jobs Act

S. 1550 – National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2011
National Infrastructure Bank Bill

S. 1720 – Jobs Through Growth Act
American Jobs Act

S. 1775 - Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act of 2011
Energy Bill Has Unusual Name, Other Energy Proposals

S. 1786 – Long-Term Surface Transportation Enhancement Act of 2011
Congress Passes Bill to Extend Transportation Programs

S. 1795 – A bill related to Missouri River management
Missouri River Priorities Contested

S. 3388 – Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act

Sewer Overflow Bill Introduced

S. 3626 – Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2012

In Congress

Bill Watch—111th Congress

40 Years of the Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act is 40 years old (about the same as this IW contributor).  Check out these articles to learn something of what has and hasn’t been accomplished with the act.

Clean Water Act celebrates 40 years of water improvements (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Oct. 2, 2012)

Clean Water Act Turns 40 (DiLoreto, G. E., The Hill’s Congress Blog, Oct. 18, 2012)

The Clean Water Act Turns 40 (Irvin, W. R., Huffington Post, Oct. 9, 2012)

Happy 40th Birthday, Clean Water Act! (Campana, M., American Water Resources Association Water Resources Blog, Oct. 18, 2012)

Sewage Pollution Still Fouling Waterways As Clean Water Act Turns 40 (Peeples, L., Huffington Post, Sept. 26, 2012)

Water Resources News

Aging Water Infrastructure and Maintenance Act Reported Out of Committee

The Aging Water Infrastructure and Maintenance Act (S. 2842), sponsored by Sen. Harry Reid (Nevada), has been reported out of committed and placed on the Senate calendar. The act would require the Department of Interior to inspect reclamation projects that could threaten public safety if they failed. In some cases it would provide for financing of improvements needed to insure a facility is safe. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the program would cost $189 million over the period of 2009 through 2013.

Cooperative Watershed Management Act of 2008 Reported Out of Committee

The Cooperative Watershed Management Act of 2008 (S. 3085), sponsored by Sen. Jon Tester (Montana), has been reported out of committee and placed on the Senate calendar. The bill would create a grant program, operated through the Department of Interior, to form and expand watershed groups and fund watershed restoration projects by those groups. The bill authorizes appropriations beginning at $2 million annually and rising to $20 million annually in 2012 through 2020. The CBO estimates the program will cost $43 million over the period of 2009-2013.

Here are some other bills we’ve been watching:
Clean Water Affordability Act (S. 3443)
Climate Change Drinking Water Adaptation Research Act (S. 2970)
Drug Free Water Act of 2008(H.R. 6451)
Perchlorate Monitoring and Right-to-Know Act of 2007 (S. 24)
Protecting Pregnant Women and Children from Perchlorate Act of 2007 (S. 150)
Sewage Overflow Right-to-Know Act (S. 2080)—House version passed
Small Community Drinking Water Funding Act (S. 1933) (additional post)
Twenty-First Century Water Commission Act of 2008 (S. 2728) (additional post)
Water Essential Storage To Enhance Regions in Need Act (S. 2873)
Water Security Act of 2007 (S.1968)

Recent water resources posts and articles:
More Attention for 21st Century Water Act

Previous water resources news:
Links to Infrastructure-Related Organizations
McCain’s Comments on Water Policy: Additional Resources
Water Resources News (Aug. 19, 2008)
Water Resources News (Aug. 27, 2008)

Pharmaceuticals in Water

Recent reports have highlighted the issue related to pharmaceuticals in water. We’ll be posting links to articles and information on the subject here. We hope this will be a useful resource for you.

Amended July 28, 2013

American Water Works Association White Paper: Pharmaceutical Compounds in Drinking Water

Anti-anxiety drugs leaked into rivers make fish antisocial (Main, D., CBS News, Feb. 15, 2013)

Drinking Water of 41 Million Americans Contaminated with Pharmaceuticals (Natural News, Aug. 22, 2008)

Bill Introduced to Study Pharmaceutical Disposal (Drug Free Water Act of 2008)

Drugs in Our Drinking Water: An Update (Cho, R., State of Our Planet, Nov. 9, 2010)

Environmental Health: Action Needed to Sustain Agencies’ Collaboration on Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water (GAO, August 2011)

Gillibrand seeks cause behind drugs in water (Heller, M., Watertown Daily Times, May 13, 2009)

Glick, Deanna. “Drugs in Tap Water: How Significant is the Risk?” Drinking Water and Backflow Prevention (Sept. 2008): 14-15.

Mason, Margie. (2009 Jan. 25). World’s highest drug levels entering India stream. Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jl0ROaU73P3_j0f0IODVN8A2YTEAD95UBNLO0, accessed 2009 Feb. 18.

Missouri scientists say grassy buffers provide protection against animal antibiotics (Columbia Missourian [AP], Feb. 15, 2010)

Pelligerno, E. (2009 Apr. 13). New UA lab researches medicines in water supply. Arizona Daily Star.

Plants ease antibiotics’ risk to farms (Gustin, G., NewsOK, Feb. 16, 2010)

Polluting The Water With Toothpaste, Shampoo, And Drugs (Profita, C., Investigate West, Sept. 12, 2012)

New Yorkers Asked to Keep Drugs Out of Drinking Water. (Aug. 11, 2008). Environmental News Service.

Oppenheimer et al., Emerging Contaminants, Opflow, May 2008

Pontius, Fred. “Tap Water Pharmaceuticals: Back to the Future.” Journal AWWA June 2008: 16-28.

Senate hearing sounds alarm on pharmaceuticals

Senate panel considers study of drugs in water (Donn, J., Associate Press, May 12, 2009)

Sewage lagoons remove most - but not all – pharmaceuticals (Coombs, C. B., University of Illinois News Bureau, Feb. 14, 2013)

Sewage Lagoons Remove Most -- But Not All – Pharmaceuticals (Science Daily, Feb. 13, 2013)

Statement of Barbara Boxer

Statement of Dr. Shane Snyder, Southern Nevada Water Authority before the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality on Pharmaceuticals in the Nation’s Water: Assessing Potential Risks and Actions to Address the Issue--April 15, 2008

STATEMENT OF DR. ROBERT M. HIRSCH, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR WATER U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AND WATER QUALITY--April 15, 2008

Study: Over Half Of Americans Medicated

Study: Plants ease antibiotic risk on farms (Capital Press [AP], Feb. 17, 2010)

Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality hearing entitled, “Pharmaceuticals in the Nation’s Water: Assessing Potential Risks and Actions to Address the Issue.”

TESTIMONY OF BENJAMIN H. GRUMBLES ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR WATER ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY BEFORE THE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY, INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY AND WATER QUALITY SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE UNITED STATES SENATE April 15, 2008

Testimony of David Pringle Campaign Director New Jersey Environmental Federation On Behalf of: New Jersey Environmental Federation and Clean Water Action

TESTIMONY OF JENNIFER SASS, Ph. D., SENIOR SCIENTIST, NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL

Tests find antibiotic, other contaminants in Tampa's drinking water (Wade, C., Tampa Tribune, Jan. 5, 2010)

Tipsy Fish: When Anti-Anxiety Meds Get Into Rivers (Greenwood, V., Time, Feb. 15, 2013)

Tons of released drugs taint U.S. water (Donn, J., Mendoza, M., & Pritchard, J., Associated Press, Apr. 19, 2009)

US senator calls for EPA to study meds-in-water (Water Technology Online, May 13, 2009)

Waste Water Analysis Reveals for the First Time Real Time Information Regarding Drug Consumption in 19 European Cities (Science Daily, July 26, 2012)

Will CERCLA allow water entities to recover response costs from pharmaceutical companies? (Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Journal AWWA, May 2009, pp. 18-20)

Water Resources News

Courts Could Affect Uses of Lake Lanier
Decisions from two federal courts could affect the use of water in Lake Lanier. In a case before the Supreme Court, Georgia is seeking validation of it’s agreement with the Corp of Engineers to use the lake as a water supply. A U.S. District Court is considering whether Congress purposed to use the lake as a drinking water source when it authorized its construction.

Additional Information
Court rulings could settle water war (Atlanta Constitution-Journal, Aug. 21, 2008)
Water Resources News

Environmental Protection Agency Considers What’s Navigable on Los Angeles River
The Environmental Protection Agency has taken the unusual step of starting its own assessment of whether the upper reaches of the Los Angeles River and its tributaries are traditional navigable waters. Such a determination would affect whether the federal Clean Water Act would apply to the waterways. The Corp of Engineers has already determined that the lower 50 miles of the river are navigable.

Additional Information
Los Angeles River may get protection through the Clean Water Act (Los Angeles Times, Aug. 19, 2008)

McCain Backs Off Renegotiation of Colorado River Water Compact
Sen. John McCain, presumptive Republican nominee for president, recently backed off comments he made indicating support for a gradual renegotiation of an agreement that has governed water rights and use along the Colorado River since 1922. He says his comments were misunderstood and he does not support a change to the agreement. Reaction to the concept of renegotiating was largely negative in the affected states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and Democrats have sought to make it a campaign issue in the region.

Additional Information
McCain now says Western water pact should stand (National Examiner [Associated Press], Aug. 20, 2008)

Activity in Congress

Bill Introduced To Review Impacts of Rules Affecting Energy Production
Rep. John Sullivan (OK) has introduced the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011 (H.R. 1705). The bill would require a committee to review certain air pollution, waste disposal and other selected regulations and assess their impacts on the nations economy and energy sector.

Bill Would Limit EPA Administrator’s Determinations Related to Water Quality Standards
Rep. John Micah (FL) has introduced the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011 (H.R. 2018). The bill would reduce the powers of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in relation to determinations of water quality standards and permitting in relation to the states.

Bill Would Require Environmental Agency to Consider Regulatory Affects On Jobs
Rep. Shelly Moore Capito (WV) has introduced the Employment Protection Act 2011 (H.R 1872). The bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency to consider the impact of rulemaking or permitting actions on employment in the various states. A version of this bill has also been introduced in the Senate (S. 1292).

Green Infrastructure Bill Introduced
Sen. Tom Udall (NM) has introduced the Green Infrastructure and Clean Water Act of 2010 (S. 1115). The bill would establish three to five centers of excellence in green infrastructure at higher education or research institutions. It would also make green infrastructure grants of up to $200,000 available to communities for planning and implementing green infrastructure projects. Various offices of the Environmental Protection Agency would be tasked with promoting green infrastructure. A version of the bill has also been introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 2030).

Hydrokinetics Bill Introduced
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK) has introduced the Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Promotion Act of 2011 (S. 630). The bill would establish funding and programs for hydrokinetics development, mainly by adding hydrokinetics to programs established in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Water Roundup

Appropriations Bill Includes Money for Levee Improvements at St. Joseph, MO
The energy and water appropriations bill included funds for levee improvement projects in Kansas and Missouri in the St. Joseph area.

More information:
St. Joseph included in water resources bill
St. Joe included in water resources bill

Drinking Water and Wastewater Funding Included in Agriculture Bill
The agriculture appropriations bill that passed Congress in October included $568.7 million for the water and waste program that provides grants and loans for drinking water, wastewater and solid waste projects in rural areas.

More information:
Farm Bill Includes Environmental Funding
Rural water appropriations pass both houses
Water Legislation — recycling, research, efficiency

EPA Calls for Missouri to Revise Mississippi R. Standards Near St. Louis
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 7 has requested that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) revise water quality standards for a 28.6-mile section of the Missouri River upstream of its confluence with the Meramec River. The change is intended to protect the river for use for whole body contact recreation, though a MoDNR proposal to implement the standard was previously rejected by the state Clean Water Commission.

More information:
EPA Calls on State of Missouri to Set New Water Quality Standards for St. Louis Segment of Mississippi River
EPA Calls on State of Missouri to Set New Water Quality Standards for St. Louis Segment of Mississippi River (EPA news release)

Missouri Comes Out Swinging Over River Diversion Plan
Missouri politicians at both the state and are opposing a Bureau of Reclamation plan to divert water from the Missouri River for irrigation purposes in North Dakota. This is recent flare up in the longstanding fight for water among the states along the river that predates the act from 2000 that established North Dakota’s allotment of water from the river.

More information:
Governor Objects to Missouri River Water Diversion to Red River Valley
McCaskill wants Interior Secretary out of long-running Missouri River ruckus
Missouri Governor Encourages U.S. Secretary of Interior to Reject Diversion of Missouri River Water to Red River Valley
Missourians oppose river diversion by North Dakota Water war revival
Missourians Oppose River Diversion by North Dakota Water War Revival

Reviewing the Recovery Act

Infrastructure Watch has been following the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) since it was enacted. While infrastructure accounted for a relatively small amount of the total supplementary appropriations provided by ARRA, tens of billions of dollars is noteworthy in any industry. Much of the money that went to infrastructure has been spent and ARRA will begin a slow wind-down from the perspective of infrastructure. It seems like a good time for a review of the program and it effects so far.

INFASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

ARRA committed only a fraction of its supplementary appropriations to infrastructure. Even so, the $62 billion appropriated to transportation and water infrastructure was significant considering that federal spending in this area had been declining. In 2009, this resulted in a $6 billion increase in federal infrastructure spending, of which $4 billion was directly from ARRA.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that 90 percent of these funds will be spent by 2013. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) had reported that 90 percent of the highway funds had been obligated by February 2010 and about a quarter of that had been paid out to state transportation programs. The clean water and drinking water state revolving fund (SRF) programs had drawn almost 80 percent of the funds by June 2011.

The author and others working in these industries are already looking for what projects or business lines might have the potential to bring in revenues as the ARRA well runs dry in a few years. The prospects aren’t entirely gloomy. Generally, the federal government accounts for only 25 percent of the spending on transportation and water infrastructure. The rest comes almost entirely from state and local governments.

Though federal funding is a minority of the investment in infrastructure, it is a significant portion of the capital investment, with relatively little going to operations and maintenance. This trend continued with ARRA. Smart Growth America criticized ARRA because to much went the construction of new transportation assets and too little to repairing existing infrastructure. They thought the extra appropriation would have been better spent and had a greater economic stimulus if more of it had been spent on the repair of existing infrastructure.

Maintenance of Effort
Though states are already a significant contributor to spending on transportation efforts, ARRA required states to continue funding transportation at the level they would have without the extra funding. Congress wanted to increase spending on transportation infrastructure, not give states a way to shift money to other areas.

The requirement has proven problematic. States are facing losses of revenue that may have forced them to cut transportation spending anyway. In addition, ARRA didn’t require to report what there level of effort would be until several months after they began to use the funds. States may not have, strictly speaking, circumvented the maintenance of effort requirement, but it has become difficult to say they have continued funding as they would have anyway.

JOBS CREATION
ARRA recipients reported more than 580,000 full time equivalent (FTE) jobs in he last quarter of 2010. The way jobs are reported by recipients makes it difficult to determine the exact impact of ARRA on jobs.

ARRA recipients report work-hours that were paid for out of the ARRA funding. In the case of an infrastructure project, these work hours might involve construction trades, construction management, engineering design and oversight, and other services (legal, environmental, and more). The nature of these jobs means that the people may be working part-time on ARRA projects while working part-time on other projects, or temporarily work full time on an ARRA project. It is easy to add up the hours and calculate an FTE. It is difficult to know if any of these jobs were created ARRA, or if they might have ended except of ARRA, or might not have been affected.

This type of reporting has a built-in decline as ARRA money is spent down and projects end. Reported ARRA-related jobs is already declining in the SRF programs. ARRA-related jobs reported from SRF programs peaked in the Spring of 2010 and have declined since. Some foresaw a post-stimulus jobs drop even as it was just getting off the ground.

The author is an example these features of jobs reporting, ARRA work having accounted of about a quarter of an FTE in relation to him over the last 19 months. It’s impossible to say what, if any, other work the author may have done if not involved in ARRA projects; he’s glad to have good projects from wherever they come. When he transfers his effort to other work, hopefully, over the next year or so, his hours reported for ARRA will decline and end.

In addition, only some of the ARRA-funded programs are required to report jobs. Those that report jobs only have to trace them so far, to primary contractors and their subcontracts. It is a practical impossibility to count the jobs created or retained by such a program.

Even so, CBO made a go at estimating it. They estimate that ARRA increased the number of people employed by between 1.3 million and 3.5 million in the last quarter of 2010.

CONSTRUCTION COSTS
In the years before ARRA, construction costs had been rising more rapidly that prices the rest of the economy. Bucking that trend, GAO reported that many ARRA-funded projects were receiving bids that were lower than expected. The author has heard from water utilities and state revolving fund programs that a similar trend is occurring in drinking water and wastewater projects.

The thought is that the recession has made the environment very competitive and more bidders are going after each job. In response, contractors are taking minimal profits in order to get projects and stay afloat until the economy recovers. The Associate General Contractors of America has even suggested that contractors have bid projects at less than cost for that purpose.

This drop in bid prices is a reflection of the economic environment, not a response to ARRA. The touted “bid savings” that have ostensibly allowed the ARRA dollars to stretch farther have provide the same benefit to all the other money spent on construction.

MACROECONOMICS
CBO estimates that ARRA increased the gross domestic products (GDP) by between 1.1 percent and 3.5 percent in the last quarter of 2010.

FEDERAL DEFICIT
CBO estimates that the ARRA will increase budget deficits by $821 billion between 2009 and 2019. They estimated 70 percent of that, approximately $575 billion, was realized by the end of September 2010.

REFERENCES
The following references were used in the preparation of this review of ARRA.

Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Estimated Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Employment and Economic Output from October 2010 Through December 2010. Washington, DC: CBO, 2011.

-----. Public Spending on Transportation and Water Infrastructure. Washington, DC: CBO, 2011.

Cooper, M. Companies pretty up prices to win stimulus projects. New York Times. March 28, 2009.

Farley, R., & Grabell, M. ProPublica and PolitiFact test Obama claims on stimulus. ProPublica. Nov. 10, 2010.

Fields, G. Job cuts loom as stimulus fades. Wall Street Journal. Dec. 1, 2009.

Government Accountability Office (GAO). Recovery Act: Funding Uses for Transportation Infrastructure Projects, but Some Requirements Proved Challenging. Washington, DC: GAO, 2011.

-----. Recovery Act: Funds Supported Many Water Projects, and Federal and State Monitoring Shows Few Compliance Problems. Washington, DC: GAO, 2011.

-----. Recovery Act: One Year Later, States’ and Localities’ Uses of Funds and Opportunities to Strengthen Accountability. Washington, DC: GAO, 2010.

Smart Growth America. Recent Lessons from the Stimulus: Transportation Funding and Jobs Creation. Washington, DC: Smart Growth America, 2011.

The following references are offered for those interested in additional information on ARRA.

Infrastructure Watch (blog). Coverage of infrastructure economic stimulus. May 14, 2009.

-----. Coverage of infrastructure in economic stimulus. Apr. 14, 2009.

-----. Government Accountability Office watches Recovery Act implementation. August 23, 2010.

-----. Infrastructure & recovery news. Oct. 8, 2010.

-----. Infrastructure & stimulus news. June 17, 2010.

-----. Infrastructure economic stimulus in the news. July 1, 2009.

-----. Infrastructure stimulus. Jan. 27, 2011.

-----. Recovery Act and infrastructure in the news. Jan. 26, 2010.

-----. Recovery Act and infrastructure in the news & elsewhere. Aug. 1, 2009.

-----. Recovery Act and infrastructure news. May, 11, 2010.

-----. Recovery & stimulus news. Mar. 25, 2011.

-----. Show me the money: Stimulus & infrastructure news. July 7, 2010.

-----. Summary of transportation stimulus oversight findings. Sept. 27, 2009.

-----. USDOT redirects high-speed rail stimulus away from slow states. Dec. 21, 2010.

McNamar, T. Profiles from the recession. Blueprint America (blog). Sept. 15, 2010.

Missouri Plans for SRF Funds from the Recovery Act

Missouri has released plans for more than $146 million for drinking water and wastewater made available by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Copies of the plans (one covers the clean water state revolving fund [SRF] and the other the drinking water SRF) are available here along with instructions for submitting comments. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is accepting comments on the plans until June 3.

Missouri is the only state in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 7 that has not received its portion of these funds. The other states in that region are Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.

Related articles and posts:
EPA Announces $24 Million Recovery Act Funds for Water Infrastructure Projects in Iowa to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect Public Health
EPA Announces $53 Million Recovery Act Funds for Wastewater Infrastructure Projects in Iowa to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect the Environment
EPA Announces $19.5 Million in Stimulus Funds for Water Infrastructure Projects in Kansas to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect Public Health
EPA Announces $35 Million in Recovery Act for Wastewater Infrastructure Projects in Kansas to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect Public Health
EPA Announces $19.5 Million in Stimulus Funds for Water Infrastructure Projects in Nebraska to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect Public Health
EPA Announces $20 Million in Stimulus Funds for Wastewater Infrastructure Projects in Nebraska to Boost Economy, Create Jobs and Protect the Environment

Water Infrastructure Funding Bill Introduced

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR) has introduced the Water Protection and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 3202). The bill would create a Water Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund.

Revenues for the fund would come from two new taxes. The first tax would be on the sale of water-based beverages, soaps and detergents, toothpaste, toiletries, toilet tissue, water softeners, cooking oils and pharmaceuticals. The second tax would apply to corporate income.

Expenditures from the fund would mostly support the clean water (CWSRF) and drinking water state revolving fund (DWSRF) programs. Small portions of the fund would support related programs. The bill makes some minor changes to the CWSRF legislation.

Related articles and posts:
Taxes On Toilet Paper And Soda Pop To Fund $10 Billion Clean Water Fund?

Missouri Receives Stimulus Funds for Drinking Water and Wastewater

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $146,503,800 to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The funding was authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Recovery Act funds will go to the state's Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF and DWSRF) programs.The CWSRF program will receive $108,641,800. It provides low-interest loans for water quality protection projects for wastewater treatment, non-point source pollution control, and watershed and estuary management. The DWSRF program will receive $37,862,000. It provides low-interest loans for drinking water systems to finance infrastructure improvements. The program also emphasizes providing funds to small and disadvantaged communities and to programs that encourage pollution prevention as a tool for ensuring safe drinking water.

You can read the original EPA news release here.

Related articles and posts:
Missouri Plans for SRF Funds from the Recovery Act
Missouri Receives Stimulus Funds for Water Quality Management Planning
Missouri Wastewater Financial Assistance Draft Plans Available

New Briefs

It’s been a while since I’ve had to post anything on this blog, so some of this news is old. I appreciate those of you who still follow this blog. I hope I can continue to make something worthwhile for you.

Foxx Sworn in As Transportation Secretary

Anthony Foxx has been sworn in as Secretary of Transportation. Foxx was mayor of Charlotte, NC, and has had a career as an attorney and politician.

GAO Critiques Nonpoint Source Program

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report that critiques the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 319 program. This program (named for the section of the Clean Water Act that authorized it) provides grants to states to undertake activities to reduce nonpoint-source pollution, including subgrants to organizations to implement improvements. They found that the program sometime failed to produce desired results and that EPA’s oversight of the program sometimes was inadequate or produced unintended undesirable results. In addition, a complementary program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service introduces practices that, by themselves, can decrease water quality because their primary intent is soil conservation.

I-5 Bridge Collapse

At this time, IW has no news to add to what has been reported on the I-5 bridge collapse. The collapse of a bridge on I-35 was one of the events that prompted the launch of this blog. IW sends it’s condolences to those affected by this event and wishes the National Transportation Safety Board a fruitful investigation.

Many Highway Projects are Categorical Exclusions for NEPA

GAO published a report on expediting highway projects. One of the interesting things was that many highway projects were considered categorical exclusions for the purpose of review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Categorical exclusions are classes of projects that, individually or collectively, have been determined by rule to have no significant environmental impact. These projects receive no or limited NEPA review.

New Appointees to Advisory Committee on Construction Safety & Health

Acting Labor Secretary Seth D. Harris appointed or reappointed eight members to the ACCSH. The new members are

-Sarah M. Coyne of Arizona Construction Training Alliance and

-Jerry Rivera of the National Electrical Contractors Association.

OSHA Extends Deadline for Crane Operator Certification

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency announced its will extend the deadline for certification of crane operators to November 10, 2017. The original rule that was finalized in 2010 established a deadline next year.

Report on Rural Water Infrastructure

The GAO published a report on programs that fund drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in rural areas. In Missouri, agencies that administer the State Revolving Fund (a state-administered EPA-overseen program), Water and Waste Disposal Program (U.S. Department of Agriculture), and Community Development Block Grants Program (a state-administered program overseen by the Department of Housing and Urban Development) coordinate their water funding efforts.

Google

Government Accountability Office Watches Recovery Act Implementation

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has monitored the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)and issued several reports. Some of the issues raised by the GAO are summarized below.

Jobs Reporting
ARRA requires assistance recipients to report on jobs created and retained by their projects. GAO found that there were inconsistencies in guidance and the calculation of full time equivalents (FTEs) that might affect the reported figures and the aggregation of jobs. They believed that recipients were making a good faith effort to report correctly.

Federal Requirements Effect Project Timing, Selection, Starts
GAO found that federal agencies and states reported that federal requirements related to ARRA affected the timing, selection, and starts of projects. The requirements that seemed to have the most effect were Davis-Bacon and Buy American.

The Davis-Bacon Act requires contractors on federal projects to pay local prevailing wages to laborers and mechanics. Generally, it applies to direct contracts with the federal government. It applies to all projects that are funded with ARRA funds. Timing of some projects was effected by this requirement. It seems likely that this is because these requirements are new to 40 programs because of the attachment of the requirement to ARRA funds.

The ARRA Buy American requirements are new to all the affected programs. The selection and start of some projects were effected by this requirement.

Though some projects were affected by federal requirements, it appears they have caused few significant problems for overall program implementation. Only a few agencies surveyed by GAO reported major problems.

The information for this post was draw from these GAO reports:
Officials’ Views Vary on Impacts of Davis-Bacon Act Prevailing Wage Provision (
GAO-10-421)
Project Selection and Starts Are Influenced by Certain Federal Requirements and Other Factors (GAO-10-383)
Recipient Reported Jobs Data Provide Some Insight into Use of Recovery Act Funding, but Data Quality and Reporting Issues Need Attention (GAO-10-223)

GAO has also issued these reports on ARRA:
One Year Later, States’ and Localities’ Uses of Funds and Opportunities to Strengthen Accountability (GAO-10-437)
California’s Use of Funds and Efforts to Ensure Accountability (GAO-10-467T)
Clean Water Projects Are Underway, but Procedures May Not Be in Place to Ensure Adequate Oversight (GAO-10-761T)
Contracting Approaches and Oversight Used by Selected Federal Agencies and States (GAO-10-809)
Factors Affecting the Department of Energy's Program Implementation (GAO-10-497T)
Increasing the Public’s Understanding of What Funds Are Being Spent on and What Outcomes Are Expected (GAO-10-581)
Recipient Reported Jobs Data Provide Some Insight into Use of Recovery Act Funding, but Data Quality and Reporting Issues Need Attention (GAO-10-224T)
States’ and Localities’ Uses of Funds and Actions Needed to Address Implementation Challenges and Bolster Accountability (GAO-10-604)
States’ Use of Highway and Transit Funds and Efforts to Meet the Act’s Requirements (GAO-10-312T)

Check out these posts and articles for additional information on ARRA:
Infrastructure & Stimulus News
Recovery Act and Infrastructure in the News
Recovery Act and Infrastructure News
Show Me the Money: Stimulus & Infrastructure News
States Obligate All Highway Stimulus Funds
What’s Up in Congress

Comments Sought on Missouri Impaired Waters List

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its proposed decision on Missouri’s 2012 list of impaired waters. EPA is approving Missouri’s listing of 253 waters as impaired, and the removal from the list of 66 water bodies. The Agency is requesting public comment on its proposed decision to restore a total of 10 water bodies and corresponding pollutants to Missouri’s 2012 impaired waters list.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources submitted its 2012 impaired waters list to EPA for review and approval. The Clean Water Act and federal regulations require EPA to review the state’s list to determine if the state reasonably considered existing and readily available water quality-related data and information, and reasonably identified waters to be listed.

EPA is proposing to restore several water bodies that were excluded from listing or removed from Missouri’s list. These proposed additions to the list include waters found to be impaired by sediment, bacteria, ammonia and other pollutants.

The public comment period on EPA’s proposed decision ends September 12, 2012.  EPA will consider written public comments in reaching its final decision on the additional water bodies identified for inclusion on Missouri’s final 2012 impaired waters list.

EPA’s decision letter is available at www.epa.gov/region7/newsevents/legal. A link to the public notice, which describes how to submit comments, is available on the EPA Region 7 website at www.epa.gov/region7/public_notices. Additional supporting documentation is available upon request by contacting Carol Taylor-Curth, Water Quality Management Branch, EPA Region 7, 901 N. 5th Street, Kansas City, KS, 66101, taylor-curth.carol@epa.gov, (913) 551-7638 or (800) 223-0425.

You can read the original EPA news release here.