News Archives

Marketplace , March 17, 2009

Drinking Water Costs Lots of Dollars

Drinking water across the nation is getting more and more expensive. Some say it's the private sector that is pushing those prices up. Elaine Grant reports.

The Hill, January 5, 2009

Business Welcomes Talk of Tax Breaks in Stimulus

The news that President-elect Obama may include more than $300 billion in tax cuts as part of an economic recovery package was preceded by a lobbying push by businesses, which argued that providing tax relief may be a better way of reviving the economy than simply directing money to pay for road and bridge construction.

Water Policy Report, January 5, 2009

Lawmakers Eye Stimulus Measure to Speed Drinking Water Spending

Backed by drinking water utilities, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers is urging appropriators to provide $10 billion for EPA's drinking water infrastructure loan program in the upcoming economic stimulus bill, with 30 percent of the funds earmarked for big projects in large cities that are usually less likely to take SRF funding because of loan interest requirements.

BNA Daily, January 2, 2009

Private Water Companies Urge Tax Incentives to Spur Investment
in Water/Sewage Systems

Congress should enact a series of tax incentives to stimulate investment in the nation's drinking water and sewage infrastructure, an industry group urged lawmakers and the Obama transition team Dec. 30.

The National Association of Water Companies said in its policy recommendation that the investments would create many jobs while ensuring the safety and reliability of water and wastewater systems, many of which were built decades ago. The group said the tax breaks are especially important because the nationwide credit crisis has dried up new debt financing.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 3, 2008

A piece of the pipe has its price

Suppose Milwaukee goes with Comptroller Wally Morics' idea of leasing out the water works so the city gets a huge upfront payment. If it works, says Morics, the city's got a new source of money. But, he says, water rates will rise.
 
Why, exactly?
 
That didn't happen in a couple of other big cities that made deals for private companies to run their water systems. Buffalo in 1997 let a private operator take over its water works. It negotiated an 8% rate cut. Indianapolis in 2002 bought out a regulated utility and made a deal with French company Veolia to run the system. The city negotiated a five-year rate freeze. "It's worked out really well for us," said Benjamin Hunter, head of the city's public works committee.

The Economist, September 2008

Debate: The Value of H2O

Water is both an industrial input and a prerequisite of life. Roughly a billion people do not have a constant supply of clean and safe water.

Christian Science Monitor, May 29, 2008

Is Water Becoming the New Oil?

Population, pollution, and climate put the squeeze on potable supplies – and private companies smell a profit. Others ask: Should water be a human right?

CQ Weekly, March 10, 2008

Creating New Water Ways

The Colorado River is often called the lifeblood of the West, and for good reason. Not only does the 1,450 mile-long waterway sustain millions of acres of farm and semi-arid ranch land, but through myriad diversions it quenches the thirst of fast-growing Las Vegas and Phoenix, as well as Los Angeles and its environs.