An agency official reassured state and federal officials that “states are very much in the driver’s seat” in picking which projects to spend funds from the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
The top Environmental Protection Agency official on water policy reassured senators on Wednesday that the agency will give states flexibility in deciding how to spend the $48 billion for water and wastewater funds that was included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
“The states are very much in the driver’s seat in selecting the projects that really meet the needs of their residents,” said Radhika Fox, the assistant administrator for water at the EPA.
At the hearing, West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, raised concerns that the Biden administration would not just consider what areas are most in need of help with their water infrastructure, but that it would factor in other administration priorities as it distributes the money, including its Justice40 initiative to send 40% of funding to disadvantaged communities.
Route Fifty
By Kery Murakami
MARCH 16, 2023