Monday, November 29, 2010

Water Infrastructure Projects Designated in EPA Appropriations: Trends and Policy Implications -- CRS

This Report from the Congressional Research Service (7-5700), dated October 28, 2010, finds that Congressional action to designate funds within appropriations legislation for specified projects or locations has been increasing in recent years as a way to help communities meet needs to build and upgrade water infrastructure systems. Such legislative action has often been popularly referred to as earmarking.

This report discusses appropriations for water infrastructure programs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), focusing on such designations in the account that funds these programs. Information on the programmatic history of EPA involvement in assisting wastewater treatment and drinking water projects is provided in two appendixes. Congressional appropriators began the practice of supplementing appropriations for the primary Clean Water Act (CWA) and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) assistance programs with grants for individually designated projects in FY1989.

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