EPA Allocates $70M+ from Clean Energy Plan to Arizona for Water Infrastructure Upgrades
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PHOENIX, AZ – On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Arizona would receive over $70 million for drinking water and clean water infrastructure upgrades, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden in 2021 as part of the president’s clean energy plan. The funding is part of over $50 billion in water infrastructure upgrades nationwide – the largest such investment in American history. Almost half of the funding will be available as grants or principal forgiveness loans, ensuring funds reach disadvantaged and underserved communities most in need of investments in water infrastructure.
“As Arizona faces a historic drought, protecting access to clean drinking water was a priority of mine when negotiating the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D) said. “I’m glad to see these unprecedented investments that will support continued growth and prosperity for communities across our state.”
“As a lifelong resident of the Tucson southside, I’m all too familiar with toxic chemicals that polluted our community’s drinking water and the adverse health impacts that followed,” said U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D, AZ-07). “This massive investment from the Biden administration will be transformative and help ensure safe drinking water for the City of Tucson. I was proud to support the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as a down payment to address historic inequities and will continue to fight for policies that will guarantee clean drinking water and a healthy environment for future generations.”
The funding EPA announced for Arizona is part of a $5.8 billion investment through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF), one of EPA’s signature water
investment programs. This multi-billion dollar investment will fund state-run, low-interest loan programs to address critical water challenges, with $2.6 billion going to the Clean Water SRF for wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and $3.2 billion going to the Drinking Water SRF for drinking water infrastructure nationwide.
In Arizona alone, President Biden’s clean energy plan has spurred more than $10 billion in investment and helped create or advance over 13,500 jobs since 2022. Should former President Donald Trump win the presidential election in November, the future of Arizona’s clean energy economy would be in serious jeopardy in the hands of an administration that appears likely to wage “an all-out war on climate science and policies”.
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