Washington, D.C., June 6, 2018 – The Portland Cement Association (PCA) today urged Congress to reauthorize federal legislation needed to build, maintain and improve the nation’s water infrastructure. The U.S. House of Representatives is considering two-year reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2018 (H.R. 8), while the U.S. Senate is considering companion legislation, America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018 (S. 2800).

“America deserves safe, strong and resilient water infrastructure – our economy depends on it,” said PCA President and CEO Michael Ireland.  “Water infrastructure built with concrete is long-lived, has a low life-cycle cost and is resilient to man-made and natural disasters.  We need this legislation to ensure our drinking water is safe, our waterways are navigable and secure, and that we have water infrastructure capable of serving generations to come.”

The cement industry supports reauthorization of water infrastructure legislation that includes:

• increased investment in waterway and flood control infrastructure;
• increased funding for water infrastructure construction programs like the Safe Drinking Water Revolving Fund (SRF) and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) programs,
• and promotes resilient construction techniques that use durable and reliable materials such as concrete.

“The recent increase in natural and man-made disasters, like last year’s hurricanes and wildfires, demonstrates how important resilient infrastructure is to the safety and security of communities from coast-to-coast,” Ireland noted.  “Passing water reauthorization legislation, which makes smart and strategic use of scarce taxpayer dollars, is a good investment for America and good for the 600,000 cement- and concrete-related employees all across the country.”

To learn more about how concrete makes America’s infrastructure strong, visit: http://www.cement.org/infrastructure.