Dear Chairs Murray and Granger, Vice Chair Collins, and Ranking Member DeLauro:
The undersigned organizations support increasing funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s implementation of the Border Water Infrastructure Program (BWIP) to $100 million in the FY2024 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill.
The North American Development Bank currently has unfunded applications of more than $350 million. A recent report by DigDeep and a coalition of NGOs and think tanks entitled Drainingunderscored that not closing the water access gap across the United States, including along the border, is costing the U.S. economy more than $8 billion annually. Investments like the BWIP will have a return on investment of more than 5 to 1. Congress must act now.
The BWIP protects both the public health of communities and the environment on both sides of the border. The Program funds essential drinking water and wastewater projects that would otherwise be financially unfeasible for local governments. The flow of sewerage across the border is a decades-old challenge and a priority for the business community that requires solutions from both Mexico and the United States. The business community strongly supported the $300 million included in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement for the BWIP, and we applaud EPA and the U.S. government interagency for the process for selecting initial projects in the Tijuana River region. This is just a down payment and will align with the transformative Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding for the water sector.
The Chamber, working with the state and local chambers listed below, includes member companies that can provide technologies, products, and services to drive development, leverage private investment, and implement needed projects. We strongly urge your support for legislation and other activities that provide critical BWIP funding and technical assistance for implementing infrastructure projects that address water pollution and wastewater challenges. Concrete actions and funding are long overdue.
Sincerely,
National:
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Arizona:
Apache Junction Area Chamber of Commerce
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce
Nogales Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce
Sierra Vista Area Chamber of Commerce
Springerville-Eagar Regional Chamber of Commerce
Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce
California:
CalChamber
Coalition of California Chambers Orange County
Orange County Business Council
San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce
San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce
USA Minority Chamber of Commerce
West Ventura County Business Alliance
New Mexico:
New Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Red River Chamber of Commerce
Texas:
Del Rio Chamber of Commerce
Fulshear Katy Area Chamber of Commerce
McAllen Chamber of Commerce
South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce
Texas Association of Business
cc: Members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations
cc: Members of the House Committee on Appropriations
