Reps. Blunt Rochester, Katko Introduce Bill to Help Low-Income Americans Maintain Access to Clean Drinking Water

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Congressman John Katko (R-NY), along with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) introduced H.R. 3293, the bipartisan Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act. The bill would establish permanent programs at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would assist low-income households in maintaining access to clean drinking water and sanitation services. The bill is endorsed by the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy, The Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), Earthjustice, PolicyLink, Water Environment Federation, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), Community Water Center, US Water Alliance, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"Having access to clean water should be the right of every American across the country. Especially in the midst of a pandemic, we know how difficult it can be for families to make ends meet and pay for all of their utilities," said Rep. Blunt Rochester. "That's why I'm proud to join with my colleagues in introducing the Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act to ensure that all Americans are able to pay their bills and maintain access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation services."

"Ensuring access to reliable and clean water sources must be a top priority for our nation, especially in response to new challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Rep. Katko. "I've heard firsthand from families in Central New York who are unable to pay their utility bills and from water providers suffering from revenue shortfalls. That's why I am proud to put forward substantive legislation that would provide real relief to both ratepayers and water utilities. By providing necessary financial assistance through EPA, the Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Program Act would help to ensure every family in our community has access to clean water and promotes significant investments in the modernization and repair of our water systems."

"Access to clean drinking water is a fundamental right that shouldn't be determined by your zip code or your income," said Rep. Dingell. "This legislation serves as a support system for low-income families, providing much-needed access to clean drinking water and sanitation services so that Americans can focus on supporting their families without worrying about their utility costs."

"Wilmington and other municipalities throughout Delaware face rising utility costs to meet compliance obligations while staying true to the mission of providing residents with the highest quality of essential drinking water and clean water services," said Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki. "Congresswoman Blunt Rochester's legislation is critical to helping financially vulnerable members of our community pay their utility bills. A federal low-income household water assistance program would enable Wilmington to continue making needed investments in our water infrastructure while helping low-income households maintain access to affordable and reliable clean and drinking water services. We look forward to working with Congresswoman Blunt Rochester and Senator Carper, who has been working on similar legislation in the Senate, to advance a low-income household water assistance program into law as soon as possible."

"Water is a human right, but economic inequality, crumbling infrastructure and public disinvestment mean that the half of Americans who are in or near poverty often don't have access to clean and affordable water. The Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act of 2021 would provide needed relief to the disproportionately poor, Black, Indigenous and people of color communities that lack access to safe water and are struggling to pay their household expenses," said Colette Pichon Battle, Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy and National Lead for the Red, Black & Green New Deal at the Movement for Black Lives.

"Relative to the rest of the country, rural communities struggle disproportionately with the provision of affordable water services in compliance with EPA standards. Exacerbated by the pandemic's wide-ranging economic detriments, the situation has become increasingly untenable over the past year," said Nathan Ohle, CEO of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership. "I commend Reps. Blunt Rochester and Katko for introducing this important bill and RCAP hopes it will receive support from their colleagues in both the House and Senate."

"The introduction of this legislation to create a permanent low-income water assistance program could not come sooner for the communities facing threats to their water security," said Michael McAfee, President and CEO of PolicyLink. "This bill can provide critical relief to households facing water debt and shutoffs and is a major stepping stone on the journey towards a sustainable water future for all."

"Creating a permanent, reliable low-income water customer assistance program is critically important. NACWA strongly commends Reps. Blunt Rochester and Katko for working together to advance the Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act. This legislation acknowledges that a gap exists between the costs of providing essential public clean water services and investing in reliable, resilient infrastructure and the ability of households to pay for them," said Adam Krantz, Chief Executive Officer of NACWA. "The costs of clean water have grown significantly and while programs exist for helping Americans afford other essentials--food security and home energy--no similar program has been in place for water. We look forward to further work with Congress to help advance this legislation."

"Just like food and home energy, public health depends on access to drinking water and wastewater services. But as the cost of treating and delivering water has increased, it has left millions of low-income households vulnerable to not having enough money to pay their water bills," said Diane VanDe Hei, Chief Executive Officer of AMWA. "The Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act would supplement ongoing local-level water ratepayer aid programs with a new infusion of federal support, thus providing budget stability to water systems and reassurance to their most vulnerable customers. I commend Reps. Blunt Rochester and Katko for introducing this legislation, and AMWA looks forward to working toward its passage."

"As an environmental justice organization, we see too many small rural communities and hardworking farmworker families paying twice for water: once for toxic tap water they can't drink, and a second time for bottled water. The longstanding lack of a national water affordability program only compounds this burden," said Susana De Anda, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Community Water Center. "We need action on long-term relief -- this year. We applaud Congressmembers Blunt Rochester and Katko for introducing H.R. 3293. And we look forward to working with them to make sure Congress passes a water affordability program that leaves no communities behind -- so that, one day soon, all of us can finally have access to affordable water."

"The US Water Alliance welcomes the introduction of legislation that would create a permanent low-income water customer assistance program. This would be meaningful not only for our members, and all water utilities, but for families across the country who need financial assistance with their bills," said Sara Aminzadeh, US Water Alliance Vice President of Partnerships. "Making sure everyone has access to clean, safe, reliable and affordable water is a core part of our work. We applaud Representatives Rochester and Katko for introducing this compassionate and commonsense bipartisan legislation."

"Companies and communities recognize the importance of ensuring affordable access to clean, safe water for all Americans, especially in low-income communities, to protect public health and the environment, and ensure a growing economy. Keeping the water flowing is key to responding effectively to our nation's public health challenges," said Chuck Chaitovitz, the Chamber's vice president of environmental affairs and sustainability. "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce applauds Reps. Blunt-Rochester (D-DE-At Large), Katko (R-NY-24), Dingell (D-MI-12), and Tlaib (D-MI-13) for introducing the bipartisan H.R. 3293 -- Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act of 2021 and looks forward to working with them as consideration of water infrastructure legislation proceeds."

The Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act will:

Establish a permanent drinking water utilities program at EPA to assist low-income water customers in paying their drinking water bills

Establish a permanent wastewater utilities program at EPA to assist low-income water customers in paying their wastewater utility bills

Prioritizes utilities that:

Are subject to a Clean Water Act Consent Decree

Have customers that have cost increases of 30% or more during the last three years

Develop programs for low-income ratepayers

Provide matching funds for the grant

Source