Republican Sen. Rick Scott and Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly are pushing to change how EPA distributes sewer infrastructure grants among states, arguing that the current system is outdated and unfair.
The bipartisan duo is trying to drum up support for their Clean Water Allotment Modernization Act, S. 5016, which would replace the fixed funding formula used to allocate the grants with a new one based on population and poverty levels.
In a letter to colleagues Monday, they proposed including the bill in the pending Water Resources Development Act authorization expected to pass later this year.
“The moment to act is now,” Scott and Kelly wrote to colleagues in a letter obtained by POLITICO. “As the Senate takes up WRDA 2026, we urge you to support incorporating the Clean Water Allotment Modernization Act into the legislation so that the program Congress reauthorizes is one that finally treats every state fairly.”
