Good afternoon Senator Rotundo, Representative Fischer and members of the Committee. My name is Jennifer Andersen, and I am the Advocate for Environment Maine. I appreciate the opportunity to comment briefly today in support of bond funding for critical water infrastructure.
We are pleased that the Governor and the Legislature are seriously considering funding this session for wastewater treatment, safe drinking water, and combined sewer overflow (CSO) upgrade projects and we thank you.
In particular, we support LD 1513 by Senator Raye, LD 1448 by Representative Flood, the Governor’s newly revised water bond proposal and LD 1395 by Senator Nutting with the exception of the shortened compliance timeline included in Senator Nutting’s bill on CSO improvements. We are concerned that this timeline is unrealistic but we do support the higher amount of funding for CSO improvements included in his bill as we know that the actual need is much, much higher.
Environment Maine strongly supports upgrading and repairing aging wastewater treatment facilities in order to ensure clean water for fishing, canoeing, swimming and recreating while protecting precious coastal resources such as our beaches, clam flats, and shellfish which are vital to Maine’s economy and tourism industry.
Adequately funded state revolving fund (SRF) loan programs are critical to communities that require this much needed funding to do the types of projects and upgrades necessary to keep pollution from reaching our coastal waters and drinking water supplies.
As you may know, every $1 dollar funded by the state is matched by the federal government with $5 dollars for both wastewater and drinking water SRF programs. This is a match that we cannot afford to pass up again. Even more important is that these matching funds will keep the SRF programs growing and self-sustaining into the future. In addition, these low-interest loans and grants save ratepayers and municipalities money.
We also support adequate funding for CSO improvements at wastewater treatment facilities in order to keep partially treated sewage from reaching our rivers, streams, and coastal waters.
We believe that all Mainers should have access to clean drinking water. We support adequate bond funding for the SRF Clean Drinking Water program to fund system upgrades to protect source water, provide technical assistance to small systems, fund new infrastructure such as storage tanks, meet public health needs, and provide for watershed protection.
Municipalities must comply with clean water laws and affordable funding is vital in carrying out this responsibility, especially in small, rural communities with few financial resources. Putting bonds out for sale early is sound fiscal policy. The longer we wait the higher interest rates can rise, thus reducing the funds’ purchasing power.
In closing, we strongly support adequate state bond funding for wastewater treatment, safe drinking water and combined sewer overflow programs to draw down scarce federal dollars, and pay for much-needed improvements while protecting our coastal waters and drinking water supplies. We urge the committee to approve a water bond package that adequately addresses these needs.
