Rep. McNerney Sends Letter Calling for Fix to Water Infrastructure Projects Funding as Part of Transportation Bill Negotiations

Washington – November 23, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-09) and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL-26) led their House colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to the Chairs and Ranking members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, urging the conference committee on the transportation reauthorization bill to include a provision that strikes the prohibition that bars municipalities from using tax exempt bonds toward Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) projects.

We write to you regarding the importance of investing in our nation’s infrastructure, for both transportation and water. As you know, the current surface transportation extension is set to expire on December 4, 2015.

The Senate-passed long-term highway bill, H.R. 22, included a provision striking that prohibition – a necessary fix to the WIFIA program. While similar language was excluded from the House-passed Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform Act, we encourage the Conference Committee to take action similar to the Senate and include language to eliminate section 5028(a) in any surface transportation reauthorization conference bill that may be developed by the conferees.

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