Home
Archive
Newsletters
Video
Blogs
Discuss
About
Search
Donate
Advertise
  • AlterNetYour turn

Support AlterNet
Do you value the information you're getting from AlterNet? Please show your support with a tax-deductible donation.


Feedback
Tell us how we're doing.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Finally, We May Get Funding for a Clean Water Trust Fund

Posted by Mitch Jones, Food & Water Watch at 11:20 AM on July 28, 2009.


After years of work, we finally have bill that would establish a dedicated, firewalled source of funding for water infrastructure.

Share and save this post:

      

      

Share on Facebook       

AlterNet Social Networks:
follow us on twitter
find us on Facebook

Got a tip for a post?:
Email us | Anonymous form

Get Water in your
mailbox!

 

Last week Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced H.R.3203, the Water Protection and Reinvestment Act. We know this as the Clean Water Trust Fund!

After years of work, we finally have bill that would establish a dedicated, firewalled source of funding for water infrastructure.

Here’s how the Fund would work: The Water Protection and Reinvestment Trust Fund would be established in the U.S. Treasury. Money from the Trust Fund would be distributed to the states for loans and grants to localities that need to make repairs, improvements, or build new infrastructure. At the same time, the bill allocates funding for green infrastructure and prohibits the funds being spent on sprawl.

The Fund would receive a yearly appropriation from four dedicated taxes. Those taxes would be: a 4-cent-per-container wholesale tax on "water-based beverages;" a product disposal fee of 3% of the wholesale price of "flushable" products including toilet paper, soap, detergents, water softeners, and cooking oils; a 0.5% tax on the wholesale price of pharmaceuticals; and a 0.15% corporate income tax on companies whose alternative minimum tax income exceeds $4 million. Taken together these taxes and fees should generate between $12 billion and $13 billion a year for the fund.

To put those figures in perspective, consider that the water infrastructure appropriations passed by the House just last month equals $3.9 billion. That $3.9 billion represents a roughly 157% increase over funding in 2009 but is only one third of what the Trust Fund would provide.

With a $22 billion a year funding gap for water infrastructure, we can’t wait any longer. We need this trust fund now! See our statement from Executive Director Wenonah Hauter.

Digg!

Tagged as: water, clean water trust fund

Mitch Jones is water policy analyst for Food & Water Watch.


Yes Men Strike Again, Launch New Coke Brand Bottled Water Called 'Deception' [with Video]
The best part is when they run into an actual Coke employee.
Post by Tara Lohan. November 18, 2009.
PETA Teams Up With Glenn Beck to Bash Al Gore
Apparently Beck thinks PETA is as rad as the NRA. Who knew?
Post by Tara Lohan. November 6, 2009.
Join Me for the No Impact Week Challenge
Take part in a week-long project to learn about your environmental footprint and reduce what you use and buy.
Post by Tara Lohan. October 12, 2009.
Advertisement
Comments Turn comments off sitewide Give us feedback »
Comments closed.
The comments for this story have been closed. Thank you to everyone who participated.
View: