Sinema’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law continues Senator McCain’s efforts to revitalize communities along the Salt and Gila Rivers
PHOENIX – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and local leaders and stakeholders led a roundtable to discuss how funding from Sinema’s historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law supports the revitalization of the river corridor through the Rio Reimagined Project.
“I’m proud that our bipartisan infrastructure law continues the work and legacy of Senator John McCain on Rio Reimagined by reconnecting Arizona’s urban communities, improving water systems, and boosting economic opportunities,” said Sinema, co-author and lead negotiator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Sinema and Secretary Haaland spoke with Arizonans and local stakeholders about the Rio Reimagined project and how the health and safety of Arizona communities depend on clean and sustainable water. The bipartisan infrastructure law provides historic funding for expanding and strengthening drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems, including funding 13 water projects in 2022 across Arizona, delivering clean drinking water to thousands of Arizona families. The Sinema-drafted law also provides historic investments to the Department of Interior for drought mitigation, ecosystem restoration, and tribal infrastructure.
Sinema’s infrastructure law additionally makes a historic $15 billion investment for lead replacement and $10 billion to address forever chemicals contamination – a key multi-million dollar investment for communities in Arizona to clean up contamination from forever chemicals.
The late Arizona Senator John McCain spearheaded the Rio Reimagined project in 2017 to transform and revitalize the Salt and Gila river systems. With the convening of Arizona State University (ASU) and support of the cities of Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe, Avondale, Goodyear and Buckeye as well as the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community and the Gila River Indian Community, the project was officially added to the EPA’s Urban Waters Federal Partnership Program in September 2020. Through this broad collaboration, plans are advancing to identify and move projects forward that will take advantage of the metro Phoenix corridor’s rapid growth and reinvigorate communities along the banks of this 45-mile long stretch of the rivers.
Last year, Sinema and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced the Urban Waters Federal Partnership Act—bipartisan legislation that authorizes a program led by the Environmental Protection Agency that supports the revitalization of the river corridor through the Rio Reimagined Project.
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