WASHINGTON — In a joint announcement Friday, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, along with Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone, and Glenn Ivey, all representing the state of Maryland and the Democratic Party, unveiled a substantial federal funding allocation of $240,451,000.
This funding is aimed at modernizing clean water infrastructure projects across the state of Maryland, ensuring communities maintain access to clean and safe drinking water.
The federal funding comes as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program. A significant portion of this allocation, amounting to $211,862,000, is derived from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a landmark piece of legislation championed by the lawmakers and the Biden-Harris Administration.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, described by the legislators as a "once-in-a-generation" initiative, was enacted to facilitate historic federal investments in the nation's water infrastructure. This funding will complement the $28,589,000 in federal funding already designated for Maryland's Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) through annual appropriations for fiscal year 2023.
The lawmakers emphasized the critical importance of modernizing water infrastructure to ensure public health and safety.
In a joint statement, they stated, "Modernizing our water infrastructure is a critical public health priority. That’s one of the reasons why we fought to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – to advance our progress in communities across our state and improve their access to clean and safe drinking water. With these funds, we’re delivering on that objective for Marylanders."
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates over $50 billion to the EPA over a span of five years, representing the largest-ever federal investment in the country's drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. This significant financial injection is anticipated to drive much-needed improvements in these vital systems across the state.