BEACON HILL BEAT
JANUARY 2005
DEP RELEASES DRAFT LISTS FOR CLEAN WATER &
DRINKING WATER SRF PROJECTS
In late December 2004, the Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) Division of Municipal Services released the
CY 2005 Draft Intended Use Plan (IUP) lists for both the Clean
Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Programs (SRF).
The SRF provides 20 and 30 year low interest (2%) loans to
assist Massachusetts’ communities and authorities to
finance drinking water and wastewater construction projects
in order to implement the requirements of state and federal
regulations. The Draft lists rank projects in terms of public
and environmental health needs. The DEP will hold a public
hearing for communities and authorities to submit written
and oral testimony on behalf of their project. Traditionally,
the number of approved projects and funding level of the SRF
Draft lists are increased before they are finalized.
For the Clean Water SRF program, 66 projects totaling over
$1.621 billion were listed on the Draft list. This is an increase
from the total need of last year’s Draft IUP list which
listed a total need of $1.139 billion. On the CY 2004 Draft
list, 30 projects were identified for new construction totaling
$230.367 million. For projects in the planning stage the Clean
Water SRF Draft listed 16 projects totaling $6.227 million.
Finally, 6 carry-over projects were listed on this year’s
Draft list totaling $41.588 million. {See
Chart 1}
For the Drinking Water SRF program, 45 projects totaling
$522.150 million were listed, an increase from last year’s
Draft list which totaled $499.971 million. Ten new construction
projects are listed totaling $59.108 million along with 6
multi-year carry-over projects totaling $34.540 million. The
total financing for the approved 2005 Draft list is $93.648
million, compared to last year’s Draft list of $93.567
million. {See Chart 2}
The SRF Draft list can be viewed on the internet at:
Clean Water SRF Draft List: http://www.state.ma.us/dep/brp/mf/cwsrf.htm
Drinking Water SRF Draft List:
http://www.state.ma.us/dep/brp/mf/dwsrf.htm
MWRA ADVISORY BOARD RELEASES WATER & SEWER
RATE SURVEY
At the end of 2004, The MWRA
Advisory Board released its 18th Annual Water and Sewer Rate
Survey. For 2004, retail water and sewer rates in the MWRA
service area rose by 5.6%, or $47.06, based on approximately
90,000 gallons of use, up from $841.68 to $888.74. Over the
past three years, MWRA service area communities’ retail
rates have increased over 18%. {See Chart 3 for individual
MWRA community figures}
The MWRA Advisory Board represents the sixty cities and towns
served by the Authority. It is statutorily empowered to make
comments and recommendations on the MWRA’s annual capital
and operating budgets, and provides a ratepayer perspective
on the MWRA’s plans and policies to improve the region’s
water and sewer systems.
~ ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL ~
109th CONGRESS BEGINS LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 109th Congress convened on January 4th, welcoming 41
new House members and 9 new Senators. Congressman J. Dennis
Hastert (R-IL) was elected Speaker of the House, in a party
line vote 226-119, for a fourth time, making him the longest
serving Republican to hold the position, since Joseph Cannon
(R-IL) who served as Speaker from 1903-1911. The Republican
Party holds a majority in both Chambers: 232 of the 435 in
the House and 55 of the 100 in the Senate. Republican leadership
indicated that changes to Social Security would be among their
top priorities.
UCANE will work with our National affiliate NUCA to address
the reduction in Clean Water State Revolving Loan Funds (SRF)
in the EPA’s budget that was passed at the end of last
year’s legislative session in a large omnibus bill.
Traditionally, federal funding for the Clean Water SRF has
been $1.35 billion, but the program was cut in the 2005 Federal
Budget to $1.1 billion. The Drinking Water SRF program maintained
its funding level of $850 million.
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