DROUGHT Act of 2024
Water Resources Development
house
senate
president
Introduced on April 16, 2024 by Scott Peters
Cosponsors
Legislation Details
- Amends the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 to increase federal assistance for certain water infrastructure projects.
- Allows up to 90% of project costs to be financed by the Administrator for projects in states experiencing severe drought or in historically disadvantaged communities.
- Defines severe drought as a state designated as D2 (severe drought) or greater for a minimum of 4 weeks during any of the 3 years preceding the assistance date, or a county where a drought emergency has been declared by the Governor in the same timeframe.
- Identifies historically disadvantaged communities as those designated by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool of the Council on Environmental Quality or by the Administrator through various Environmental Protection Agency water infrastructure programs.
- Also includes communities that meet affordability criteria established by a state under the Safe Drinking Water Act or the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
- Prioritizes financing for projects located in states experiencing severe drought and serving communities that are disadvantaged, underserved, financially distressed, or meet state-established affordability criteria.
Last updated 8/8/2024