Arizona Environmental Infrastructure Authority: An Opportunity for Rural Communities to Address Important Infrastructure Needs

A Message From Congressman Greg Stanton

As the Southwest faces ongoing challenges from a changing climate and prolonged drought, Arizona is at a critical juncture. Our state is up against great threats to our economic prosperity and livability—and it will largely be local governments that set the course for how Arizona can continue to lead as a regional commercial hub.

Cities and towns are the ultimate problem-solvers in managing water resources. As the former mayor of Phoenix, I know first-hand that local leaders have to be innovative when it comes to planning for our water future. And frankly, we can’t afford the alternative. We know the future of our residents—and our economy—depends on how well we anticipate, plan, and respond to our water-related challenges.

That’s why I made it one of my top priorities when I got to Congress to create policy solutions to empower local governments and preserve the lifeblood of our economy—our water supply.

Last year, the Transportation and Infrastructure crafted the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), a comprehensive package to invest in our water future through projects overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. WRDA prioritizes the needs of our rural areas by making sure the backlog of water infrastructure projects in serious need of maintenance and repair are addressed. I’m proud that WRDA passed through Congress with bipartisan support—showing that even in divisive times, we can still come together to work on solutions that will make a difference in our communities.

As the only Arizona Member of Congress on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I fought hard to include a key provision for Arizona in WRDA—a new $150 million environmental infrastructure program for Arizona based on a bill I introduced, the Environmental Infrastructure Assistance Act.

This is a new financial resource to help public entities meet their infrastructure needs and protect our water by providing assistance for water-related environmental infrastructure projects. Projects could include water supply, storage, and treatment; surface water protection, and wastewater treatment and related facilities. The cost for those projects would be shared between the federal government and local sponsors, with the federal government providing 75 percent of the funds for the projects.

This program will be transformative for the future of our state. Small, rural and tribal communities across Arizona often lack the significant financial resources in their budgets to make much needed repairs or replace their aging infrastructure—and this bill will lift those communities with the resources they so desperately need.

Last month, I was proud to join Pascua Yaqui Tribal leadership to announce $900,000 in federal funding—the first funds to be awarded from this program—to build a critical water pipeline on the reservation.

Thanks to the League of Arizona Cities and Towns’ support for this program, we were able to bring more awareness and solutions to our state’s water needs. Investing and supporting our state’s growth goes hand in hand with taking care of our most precious resource. We have to make sure that federal dollars flow to areas throughout Arizona, so that water can keep flowing, too.

To learn more about how your community can apply for assistance under this program, I would encourage you to view the webinar hosted by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.

To stay up to date on the work I’m doing for Arizona, visit my website stanton.house.gov and sign up for my newsletter. For more information about the Environmental Infrastructure Assistance program, contact Tracee.Sutton@mail.house.gov.