Kelly, Lummis Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Cut Red Tape for Small Water Projects

Today, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced the Community Water Project Acceleration Act to help local communities speed up delivery of locally-led water infrastructure projects. The bill would streamline federal review requirements for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works projects with limited federal funding, building on a model already used for federal highway projects.

Kelly has helped secure resources for over twenty small-scale water projects across Arizona as a key negotiator of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) in both 2022 and 2024. But many projects' local sponsors have raised concerns that even straightforward projects face delays of months, if not years, before funding can be accessed due to lengthy assessments and red tape.

"In Arizona and across the West, communities need reliable water infrastructure and shouldn't have to wait months or even years to put federal funds to use because of unnecessary red tape," said Kelly. "This is a commonsense fix that makes it easier, not harder, for local projects to move forward faster while protecting the environment."

"Washington's permitting delays have real consequences for western communities that depend on reliable water infrastructure. There is no reason local water projects should face years of federal review when the funding and local support are already in place, and every month of unnecessary delay is a month rural communities across the west go without the water system it needs to thrive. Our legislation cuts through that bureaucracy by applying a model already proven in federal highway projects and is exactly the kind of practical, results-driven legislation western states deserve," said Lummis.

See what Arizona leaders are saying in support of the legislation:

"Buckeye applauds Senator Kelly's leadership in advancing this commonsense change to streamline the environmental review process for water infrastructure projects funded through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Arizona Environmental Infrastructure Program. This improvement will help move critical water projects forward more efficiently, including Buckeye's project to replace equipment at our Central Water Reclamation Facility. By reducing unnecessary delays, this change will save valuable time and resources as we work to strengthen Buckeye's water infrastructure," said Buckeye Mayor Orsborn.

"Superior was fortunate to receive funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restore Queen Creek. However, four years later, we still await the completion of the environmental review for this important project. With costs increasing year after year, this delay has limited the reach of the federal funds we received. Superior appreciates Senator Kelly's work to cut the red tape in the Arizona environmental infrastructure program and clear the way for this project and so many others across the state to proceed more quickly to construction," said Superior Mayor Beisch.

"This legislation is a welcome improvement to the Arizona environmental infrastructure program under the Army Corps of Engineers. Due to the lengthy environmental review process, Flagstaff has had to reallocate funds it has received under this program to other projects because we simply could not wait. These changes will go a long way to expediting critical water projects in Flagstaff and across Arizona, and we thank Senator Kelly for championing this important effort," said Flagstaff Mayor Daggett.

"The Buckskin Sanitary District appreciates this important change to the Arizona environmental infrastructure program to help expedite the environmental review of these small, but important water projects across Arizona. With limited resources, the District is always looking to stretch the federal funds it receives further, and this legislation will help do just that by making sure project funds go to construction versus lengthy and cumbersome environmental reviews. This small, but needed change, will level the playing field for projects under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, bringing it on par with other federal agencies that already have this authority. Senator Kelly's leadership is addressing this challenge is deeply appreciated," said Board Chairman Jeff Daniel of the Buckskin Sanitary District.

Background:

The Community Water Project Acceleration Act would create a categorical exclusion from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review requirements for certain Army Corps Civil Works projects when:

• The federal contribution to the project is less than $6 million; or
• Federal funding makes up less than 15 percent of the total project cost.

The bill would apply only to projects where the work is being conducted by a non-federal sponsor.

Click here to read the full text of the bill.