Statement of
Senator James Inhofe
Hearing on the
Water Investment Act of 2002 (S. 1961)
Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this hearing to discuss the important issue of water infrastructure. I commend you and Senators Graham, Crapo, and Smith for the hard work that was done to introduce this bi-partisan bill. This bill is a step in the right direction toward the continued improvement of the water infrastructure of this nation.
This is an important bill for the nation and is especially important for Oklahoma. This bill will be of tremendous benefit not only to our citizens, by providing safe drinking water, but also to the environment by the continued improvement of water quality
Both the Clean Water and Drinking Water Program are very popular with local communities seeking assistance for clean and drinking water projects. Both program provide "lower" than market rate loans to assist communities to come into compliance with the respective federal acts. Extending and increasing the federal contribution for these programs will allow states to better meet the financial demands placed on these funds.
The Water Investment Act contains many positive measures including the higher authorization levels, an increase in the percentage of funds set aside for Indian programs, and the increased flexibility afforded the States to manage their water programs.
The measures contained in this bill that provide additional help for disadvantaged and small communities are also sorely needed.
A primary concern with extending and increasing the federal amount is the availability of the required 20% state matching funds. For your reference, I have attached a copy of two tables that reflect how Oklahoma has generated matching funds for both the Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF programs. As you can see we have had to issue match notes to provide the required state matching funds for the more recent capitalization grants. [State funds equaling 20% of the federal capitalization grant has to remain in the fund.] Currently, we are utilizing Fund interest and investment earnings as the primary source to re-pay these state match notes. Future debt for state match notes and lower investment and interest earnings will continue to increase the financial burden to our SRFs.
Another concern is that this bill does not do enough to assist our larger communities, those that serve over 10,000 customers, in meeting the infrastructure needs of their aging water systems.
Thank you again Mr. Chairman for calling this hearing. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this piece of legislation to invest in the water infrastructure of our Nation.
Source of State Match Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
State of Oklahoma
|
Federal |
State |
Over |
|
Less |
Total |
|
Appropriated |
Match |
Match |
|
Utilized |
Available For |
Cap Grant |
Amount |
Amount |
Amount |
Notes |
Set-asides |
Assistance |
97 |
$17,561,900 |
$3,512,380.00 |
$0.00 |
(1) |
$5,444,189.00 |
$15,630,091.00 |
98 |
$10,224,200 |
$2,044,840.00 |
$0.00 |
(2) |
$3,169,502.00 |
$9,099,538.00 |
99 |
$10,716,000 |
$2,143,200.00 |
$0.00 |
(3) |
$2,786,160.00 |
$10,073,040.00 |
2000 |
$11,137,000 |
$2,227,400.00 |
$0.00 |
(4) |
$1,781,920.00 |
$11,582,480.00 |
2001 |
$11,183,000 |
$2,237,600.00 |
$1,000.00 |
(4) |
$2,254,670.00 |
$11,165,930.00 |
2002 |
$12,446,500 |
$2,489,300.00 |
$0.00 |
(5) |
$3,236,090.00 |
$11,699,710.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
|
$73,268,600 |
$14,654,720.00 |
$1,000.00 |
|
$18,672,531.00 |
$69,250,789.00 |
Notes: |
|
|
||
1 |
$3,500,000 of state match from the Constitutional
Reserve Fund and $12,380 transferred from OWRB grant account. -
6/12/98, S.B. 965 |
|
||
2 |
$2,000,000 of state match appropriated by legislature
and $44,840 transferred from OWRB
grant account. |
|
||
3 |
State
match from the Oil Overcharge Fund |
|||
4 |
2001
State match note paid from investment and interest earnings on DWSRF accounts
and the Guymon Ketchum bond loans. $2,227,400 went toward matching the FY
2000 cap grant and $2,237,600 toward the FY 2001 grant state match. |
|||
5 |
Match
has not been identified at this time.
Currently being considered by Oklahoma Legislature |
|||
State of
Oklahoma
Source of State Match Clean Water State Revolving Fund
Federal |
Federal |
State |
Over |
|
Less 4% |
Total |
Fiscal |
Appropriated |
Match |
Match |
|
Admin. |
Available For |
Year |
Amount |
Amount |
Amount |
Notes |
Amount |
Assistance |
1988 |
$9,278,000 |
$1,855,600.00 |
$0.00 |
(1) |
$371,120.00 |
$10,762,480.00 |
1989 |
$7,597,400 |
$1,519,480.00 |
$0.00 |
(1) |
$303,896.00 |
$8,812,984.00 |
1990 |
$7,862,000 |
$1,572,400.00 |
$0.00 |
(2) |
$314,480.00 |
$9,119,920.00 |
1991 |
$16,580,619 |
$3,316,124.00 |
$0.20 |
(2) |
$663,224.76 |
$19,233,518.24 |
1992 |
$15,697,737 |
$3,139,548.00 |
$0.60 |
(3,4) |
$627,909.48 |
$18,209,375.52 |
1993 |
$15,528,546 |
$3,105,709.00 |
-$0.20 |
(3) |
$621,141.84 |
$18,013,113.16 |
1994 |
$9,632,600 |
$1,926,520.00 |
$0.00 |
(5) |
$385,304.00 |
$11,173,816.00 |
1995 |
$9,951,183 |
$1,990,237.00 |
$0.40 |
(6) |
$398,047.32 |
$11,543,372.68 |
1996 |
$16,300,350 |
$3,260,069.00 |
-$1.00 |
(6,7) |
$652,014.00 |
$18,908,405.00 |
1997 |
$4,986,100 |
$1,018,670.00 |
$21,450.00 |
(7) |
$199,444.00 |
$5,805,326.00 |
1998 |
$10,879,110 |
$2,184,466.94 |
$8,644.94 |
(8) |
$435,164.40 |
$12,628,412.54 |
1999 |
$10,880,001 |
$2,281,647.00 |
$105,646.80 |
(9) |
$435,200.04 |
$12,726,447.96 |
2000 |
$10,996,702 |
$2,282,330.94 |
$82,990.54 |
(10) |
$439,868.08 |
$12,839,164.86 |
2001 |
$10,746,747 |
$2,149,349.40 |
$2,154,818.89 |
(11) |
$429,869.88 |
$12,466,226.52 |
|
$156,917,095 |
$31,602,151.28 |
$2,373,551.17 |
|
$6,276,683.80 |
$182,242,562.48 |
Notes |
|
1 |
State match
from the State Wide Water Development Fund -
07/30/88,
H.B. 1571 -
- 04/26/89, S.B. 51 |
2 |
State
match from the Special Cash Fund, S.B. 144, 03/20/91 |
3 |
State
match from the Constitutional Reserve Fund -
05/28/93,
S.B. 390 -
05/18/94,
H.B. 2761 |
4 |
$200,000
in state match provided by Ute settlement - State of New Mexico and $47,501
in state match provided from OWRB grant account. |
5 |
1994
State Match provided by OWRB Note Series 1994. Note paid from monies in the
Debt Service Reserve Fund (the "1985 Reserve Fund") for the Board's
1985 Bonds. |
6 |
1996
Match note paid from investment and interest earnings on CWSRF accounts and
the Guymon and Ketchum bond loans. $1,990,236 toward the FY 95 cap grant
state match and $2,018,545 toward the FY 96 cap grant state match. |
7 |
1997
State match note paid from investment and interest earnings on CWSRF accounts and the Guymon and Ketchum bond
loans. $1,241,524 went toward matching part of the FY 96 cap grant and
$1,018,670 toward the FY 97 grant state match. |
8 |
1998
State match note paid from investment and interest earnings on CWSRF accounts
and the Guymon and Ketchum bond loans. |
9 |
1999
State match note to be paid from investment and interest earnings on CWSRF
accounts and the Guymon and Ketchum bond loans. |
10 |
2000
State match note to be paid from investment and interest earnings on CWSRF
accounts and the Guymon and Ketchum bond loans. 2001 State match note to be
paid from investment and interest earnings on CWSRF accounts. |