Remarks by Senator Robert C. Jubelirer on Water and Sewer Bond Implementation

On infrastructure generally, and on water and sewer specifically, there is increasingly tough competition for whatever amount of money becomes available.  Many communities are looking to repair aging or antiquated systems; others are looking to make improvements to lift development bans that preclude new homes or new businesses; and others are looking to expand plants or extend lines to accommodate growth.

 

Problem is, when the need is measured in the tens of billions of dollars, it is impossible to make a quarter of a billion dollars stretch to all places for all purposes.

 

That the bulk of this money is targeted to a specific set of projects is neither opportunity lost nor an understanding breached.  The reality is that money is needed now, or vital projects could slip away.  Pick a project -- industrial or commercial -- and you will invariably find water and sewer as pivotal concerns on the prospect's shopping list.

 

Still, in many instances, an economic development project is going to have a residential component to it.  It does not automatically involve laying water and sewer lines to a virgin site.  It is often a case of upgrading facilities to make job additions possible.  In the array of economic stimulus programs and incentives that Pennsylvania is using in the competition for jobs, this is a key ingredient.

 

However, we have incorporated changes that respond to concerns raised during negotiations.  We have added job retention as an eligible purpose, a step that will likely direct more of this money to municipal systems.  We compel the use of at least $50 million in already authorized bond capacity to deepen the pool of funding available through Pennvest.  And a point lost in the arguments over this money is this -- paying for projects from this new money frees up Pennvest money for more community and municipal projects.

 

No one is contending that this comes anywhere close to addressing all the pressing needs for water and sewer.  We will have to be back at the issue, again and again, because the problems are so large, and the dual imperatives of economic development and environmental protection are so consequential.

 

In this bill, we give an important tool to the professionals -- local and state -- who daily strive to keep jobs here, to attract jobs, and to encourage existing enterprises to expand.  Jobs are a public priority, whether in urban, suburban or rural areas, and this bill is a necessary part of the answer.
 

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