Grace Napolitano: “Because I rise in support of H.R. 3906, the Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2018. This bipartisan bill, as…”

“Because I rise in support of H.R. 3906, the Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2018. This bipartisan bill, as was pointed out, was introduced by our colleague from Washington, Congressman Heck, aimed at addressing one of the ongoing concerns facing our communities, an unfunded mandate--very unfunded: how to address and pay for controlling ongoing sources of stormwater that empty into our local water bodies. According to EPA, runoff from urbanized areas is a leading source of water quality impairments on local water bodies. In urban and suburban areas, buildings and pavement cover much of the land and prevent rain and snowmelt from soaking into the ground. Instead, these developed areas rely on storm drains to carry large amounts of water runoff from roofs and paved areas to nearby waterways, and with it, as was pointed out again, high levels of pollution, such as oil, dirt, chemicals, and lawn fertilizers released directly into local streams and rivers. Congress needs to do more to help communities come into compliance with the goals of the Clean Water Act, the unfunded mandate. We need to encourage the development of new technologies and practices for addressing stormwater runoff. We need to encourage the implementation of cost-effective, low-impact development and nature-based infrastructure alternatives.…”