The Nation's Water Affordability Crisis: A Call to Action

On November 16, 2022, the Water Equity and Climate Resilience Caucus hosted “The Nation’s Water Affordability Crisis: A Call to Action,” a (virtual) Congressional Briefing on the need for a sustained federal commitment to water affordability and standing up a permanent national low income water assistance program. We were honored to open with special remarks from water equity champions on the Hill - Senator Alex Padilla (D - CA) and Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). Our panel consisted of community leaders, federal policy advocates, and utility voices - all united in their collective message that we need to do more to ensure that every household in the US has access to safe, affordable drinking water. 

Panel Speakers: 

• Monica Lewis Patrick, Co-founder & CEO, We the People of Detroit, spoke on the immediate restitution of water, and long-term affordability affecting up to a third of US residents.  
• Julian Gonzalez, Senior Legislative Counsel, Earthjustice, provided a national overview of the water affordability crisis and the federal response to meet the growing challenge.
• Scott Berry, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, and Tony Parrott, Executive Director of Louisville MSD, spoke on the need for federal action and support to enable utilities around the country to participate in a permanent national low-income water assistance program.
• Kyle Jones, Policy and Legal Director, Community Water Center, touched on the growing alliance between the water sector and water rights leaders across California to address water affordability.