The Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association (WUCA) recently hosted a semi-annual meeting of the Clean Water Construction Coalition (CWCC), a national organization of construction associations whose purpose is to promote federal legislation that improves water and wastewater infrastructure.
Formed in December 2005, the CWCC currently is composed of 25 contractors' associations representing 7,600 member firms located all across the U.S.
It receives support from 11 organizational partners and is helped in its work by Robert A. Roe, a former congressman from New Jersey, and by Sante Esposito, former chief counsel to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
During the meeting in Milwaukee, Roe and Esposito briefed attending members about the status of current federal legislation that could affect approval and funding of billions of dollars in water and wastewater construction projects nationwide.
The organization also discussed its ongoing efforts to convince legislators to focus on and pass legislation that will help the utility construction industry.
Among the pending federal legislation discussed:
- A pending bill that includes $19.6 billion for the federal wastewater construction program and $14.7 billion for the federal safe drinking water construction program, as well as $1.96 billion for combined-sewer-overflow construction.
- The Rural Small Community Bill, which provides $35 million to be distributed among communities that have 10,000 or fewer people, to help with water-related construction.
- The Medium Community Bill, which provides $15 million to be distributed to communities with populations from 10,001 to 100,000 people, to help with water-related construction.
- Pending federal stimulus bills that contain money for water-works construction. One would approve up to $81 billion that would go directly to projects within 120 days of the bill being signed into law.
- Progress in passing the Federal Clean Water Act, which would create a federal trust fund to provide ongoing capital for water- and wastewater-construction projects, similar to the way the Federal Highway Trust Fund supports highway-construction projects.
For more information about the Clean Water Construction Coalition, visit www.cleanwaterconstructioncoalition.org, or contact the Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association at 414-778-1050.
