Issue Brief 21-17
October 15, 2021
Summary 

UPDATE: The president signed the IIJA on November 15, 2021. The bill is unchanged from the version described in this brief.

The Senate has approved and sent to the House a five-year infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; H.R. 3684). The bill reauthorizes and creates a wide range of programs encompassing transportation, broadband, energy, water, recycling, and more. The bill also provides appropriations for many programs.

This brief summarizes Division E, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 (DWWIA), which covers water programs administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). The Senate passed a version of the DWWIA in April (S. 914), but the measure was not taken up by the House. The DWWIA included in the IIJA is similar to the one passed in April. It makes modifications to existing grant programs and authorizes a host of new programs, including those for lead reduction, infrastructure resiliency, technological innovation, energy efficiency, and more. Division J appropriates funding for several new and existing grant programs as summarized at the end of this brief and authorizes additional funding (above that authorized in the DWWIA) for the two state revolving funds.

The tables in this brief cover authorizations of nearly $49 billion and appropriations of more than $50 billion over five fiscal years (FYs).