Trump’s energy directive sparks concerns over water projects

By Miranda Willson | 01/22/2025 02:00 PM EST

The infrastructure law includes billions of dollars for communities to address water needs.

Utility crews repair a juncture of a water main that ruptured near UCLA.

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews work to repair a juncture of a water main that ruptured near UCLA on Sunset Boulevard on July 31, 2014. The pipe was 93 years old. Fresh concerns over funding for water projects are swirling due to President Donald Trump's executive orders. Damian Dovarganes/AP

President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order Tuesday to boost fossil fuel production and erode climate change programs is drawing concern from some water experts about the fate of funding for decades-old water infrastructure.

The order directs federal agencies to “immediately pause the disbursement” of certain funds in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The latter law included roughly $50 billion for water and wastewater.

The president’s decision to target the infrastructure law has come as a surprise to some observers in the water sector. While Trump made clear on the campaign trail that he would roll back the climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act, he has also said that ensuring clean water and rebuilding infrastructure would be priorities.

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Enacted in 2021, the infrastructure law won some bipartisan support. Lawmakers from red and blue states have touted water projects announced in their districts that were supported by the law.

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