Tim Bishop Pushes to Rebuild Water Infrastructure

Congressman Tim Bishop offered testimony today on the need for smart investments in upgrading the nation’s water infrastructure system today at a hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on “The Federal Role in America’s Infrastructure.” Bishop has served as Ranking Democratic Member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment since 2011.

The 113th Congress is expected to address the need for a new Water Resources Development Act and other federal investments in the nation’s aging infrastructure assets. In his State of the Union Address last night, President Obama proposed a new public-private partnership for infrastructure upgrades to lay the foundation for economic growth and attract businesses to the United States.

In his testimony, Bishop highlighted the urgent need for both long-and-short term federal infrastructure investments, especially in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and other natural disasters. Due to Committee rules stipulating that only the Chairman and Ranking Member may offer opening statements at hearings, Bishop‘s written testimony was entered into the hearing record.

“In my district, still devastated by the impacts of Sandy, immediate federal investment will help rebuild our roads, our dunes, and our wastewater facilities—the underpinnings of our local economy and essential to our day to day lives. This short term investment is critical, but it is not all that is needed. In New York and around the nation, a long term federal investment is needed in America’s infrastructure to create jobs and restore and strengthen our economy,” Bishop wrote.