Extremely Urgent

November 19, 2013

Talking points for contacting WRDA / WIFIA Conferees

And List of Conferees

Tell Your Representative or Senator

  • Who you are and what you do.
  • My utility serves …. [XX,XXX people in your district](or my company provides vital products/services to water utilities throughout your district and provides jobs for XXXX people).
  • As you know, a reliable drinking water supply and clean water sanitary systems areessential for a community’s economic development, public health, public safety and environmental quality.
  • WIFIA is an innovative, loan-basedprogram, and is included in S. 601, the Senate’s water resources development bill.
  • WIFIA will significantly help water and waste water utilities and their customers meet water infrastructure investment needs with minimal or no long-term impact on the federal budget, because it is based on loans that are repaid to the federal treasury, at treasury rates.
  • By holding down the cost of water projects, WIFIA holds down customer water bills.
  • WIFIA would make direct loans for larger projects, defined as $20 million for cities with more than 25,000 people or $5 million for cities with fewer than 25,000 people.
  • In addition, WIFIA would allow states to aggregate a number of smaller projects to reach the $20 million (or $5 million) threshold.
  • I urge you to ensure that WIFIA is included in the final WRDA conference agreement, but there are two problems with the Senate WIFIA construct that need your attention:
  • The Senate bill would cap WIFIA’s support of a project at 49% of a project’s cost. This is copied from a similar transportation program where there are other sources of federal funding. It does not make sense for water projects. WIFIA should be able to make loans up to 100% of project costs. Because WIFIA offers loans, not grants, project sponsors already have “skin in the game.”
  • The other problem with the Senate WIFIA bill is a prohibition on the use of tax exempt debt for the non-WIFIA share of project costs. It is based on a faulty understanding of the WIFIA concept. Without WIFIA, 100% of project costs will be financed with tax exempt debt. If WIFIA is able to fully fund a project, then zero percent of that project will be financed with tax exempt debt.
  • WIFIA will greatly benefit water utilities and their customers – your constituents.

Conference Leaders:

  • Rep. Bill Shuster (Penn.)Rep. Nick Rahall (W.V.)
  • Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.)Sen. David Vitter (Louis.)

Other Conferees:

House (alphabetical by state)
  • John Garamendi (Calif.)
  • Janice Hahn (Calif.)
  • Duncan Hunter (Calif.)
  • Grace Napolitano (Calif.)
  • Corrine Brown (Fla.)
  • Lois Frankel (Fla.)
  • Daniel Webster (Fla.)
  • Cheri Bustos (Ill.)
  • Rodney Davis (Ill.)
  • Larry Bucshon (Ind.)
  • Donna Edwards (Md.)
  • Candice Miller (Mich.)
  • Rick Nolan (Minn.)
  • Sam Graves (Mo.)
  • Frank LoBiondo (N.J.)
  • Tim Bishop (N.Y.)
  • Richard Hanna (N.Y.)
/ House, continued
  • Bob Gibbs (Ohio)
  • Markwayne Mullin (Okla.)
  • Peter DeFazio (Ore.)
  • Tom Rice (S.C.)
  • John J. Duncan, Jr. (Tenn.)
  • Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas)
  • Rob Bishop (Utah)
  • Doc Hastings (Wash.)
  • Shelley Moore Capito (W.V.)
Senate (alphabetical by state)
  • Max Baucus (Mont.)
  • Benjamin Cardin (Md.)
  • Thomas R. Carper (Del.)
  • Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.)
  • John Barrasso (Wyo.)
  • James M. Inhofe (Okla.)