In the keynote address to the 2011 Pennsylvania Infrastructure Summit, Pennsylvania American Water President Kathy L. Pape said Wednesday that expecting government bailouts is not a realistic, long-term solution to fix aging water and wastewater systems, which require billions of dollars of capital investment. Instead, she proposed a number of public-private solutions to help tackle the costly infrastructure challenges facing many communities in the commonwealth and across the country.
In light of the massive federal debt and the state facing a $4 billion budget deficit, Pape said adequate government funding is simply not available to replace aging pipeline, rehabilitate outdated treatment facilities or build new plants to comply with stricter water-quality regulations. She noted that President Obama’s proposed 2012 budget slashed approximately $1 billion from the Environmental Protection Agency’s infrastructure funding.
“Looking to Washington or Harrisburg for a financial bailout is not the answer,” Pape said. “We need to change this cycle of rewarding inefficiency, which leads to bad management practices.”
Source: Pennsylvania American Water
