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WWEMA Expresses Disappointment on Buy American Clause

  • Jul 31, 2010

The U.S. House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 5320, the Assistance, Quality and Affordability (AQUA) Act of 2010, authorizing $4.8 billion over three years for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs to provide low-interest loans to communities to build or improve drinking water facilities.

The bill also authorizes $100 million in grants over five years to help small public water systems comply with drinking water regulations, and $500 million annually over the same period to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Endocrine Disruptor Screening program.

While the Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWEMA) supports these important programs to help communities meet critical infrastructure needs and address potential public health risks associated with endocrine disruptors found in source water supplies, it is disappointed with the fact that a Buy American provision, similar to that contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was attached to the bill and could become a permanent component of future water infrastructure programs.

“At a time when we need to expedite job creation through investment in our nation’s infrastructure, placing expanded procurement restrictions on local communities will only serve to delay projects, add to their costs, and disrupt supply chains that U.S. manufacturers rely upon to provide the best products for their customers,” said WWEMA President Dawn Kristof Champney.

The U.S. Senate must now act on its bill, which is similar in nature but does not contain a Buy American provision.

Comments

Tue, Aug 3, 2010

I don't understand why business is so against Buy American? All other nations have this in their programs. In fact, China's stimulus program is much greater than ours. see: http://www.telegraph.co *** finance/financetopics/recession/china-economic-slowdown/5556913/Chinas-Buy-Chinese-decree-with-400bn-stimulus-package-risks-US-protectionism-row.html And, because we are not protecting our American Worker, China now imports 67% of the wind energy supply to America. Something we have the talent and labor to do. We need to focus on building jobs in America, not taking Government funding and exporting them to other countries for production. It is as if we are nearly Anti-Worker in the US now. One week ago the corporate earnings report showed that the growth of US companies came from out of our country. In countries that support their own protection plans, and support their own workers and economy. Something is wrong with this picture.

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