Water Quality Investment Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Chair, I would like to begin my remarks today by thanking Chairman Oberstar for his work on this critical issue.

He has been a champion for our country's infrastructure.

Whether it is wastewater, roads, bridges, dams, or levees, Chairman Oberstar has been the one to fight for the funding we need to keep our country running smoothly.

When it is working properly, our wastewater system is not something that we think about very often.

But the minute something goes wrong, wastewater instantly becomes the most important issue of all.

In my hometown of Sacramento, the city has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the combined sewer system in our central city.

Using funding provided from the Federal Government, Sacramento has renovated older pumps, built treatment plants, and increased storage.

The price of clean water and healthy ecosystems is high, Mr. Chair. But the benefits they provide to our society are even greater.

And that is why I am so supportive of the legislation before us today.

It authorizes $13.8 billion worth of wastewater infrastructure projects that will help keep my district's streets and waterways free of sewage and sludge.

This funding will help make Sacramento even more livable than it already is.

It will also create quality jobs in my district which are sorely needed.

For too long, we have lived off the infrastructure built in decades past.

Now it is our turn to invest in the future of our infrastructure, in the health of our communities, and in the quality of our water.

I urge support for the rule and for the underlying bill.

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