releases: http://kennedy.house.gov/media/press-releases/kennedy-peters-push-epa-on-regulatory-costs-for-local-communities
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://kennedy.house.gov/media/press-releases/kennedy-peters-push-epa-on-regulatory-costs-for-local-communities | KENNEDY, PETERS PUSH EPA ON REGULATORY COSTS FOR LOCAL COMMUNITIES | 2013-12-18 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Democrat | House | MA | Joseph Kennedy | K000379 | kennedy.house.gov | legacy | Price Tag of Compliance in Massachusetts and California Reaching Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Newton, MA – Congressman Joe Kennedy (D-MA) and Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA) sent a letter today to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy asking for details regarding the agency’s plan to help local municipalities afford the cost of compliance with environmental regulations. The letter follows up on an exchange between Congressman Kennedy and Administrator McCarthy at a hearing before the House Science, Space & Technology Committee in November. During the hearing, the Congressman pointed to examples in his district of communities that want to comply with environmental standards but do not have the funds necessary to afford the required upgrades. “To date the EPA has made tremendous progress in attacking lingering pollution and contamination issues in local municipalities that, left unchecked, would have dire long-term health and safety consequences, not to mention financial ones. Policies surrounding the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act are vitally important, and our districts and communities are working hard to comply with them. In conversations with local leaders and community members back home, it is clear our cities and towns understand how essential these policies are and want to comply with them,” wrote Congressmen Kennedy and Peters. They continued: “Unfortunately, compliance often comes at a significant cost, which municipalities across the country are struggling to address as they navigate a sluggish economy and significant loss of state and federal dollars.” According to the letter, the Town of Milford, Massachusetts is facing $100,000 per year in additional spending to meet new regulations for stormwater management. Milford has also been included in a new pilot program to reduce phosphorous runoff in the Charles River, but the price tag on that is nearly $111 million up front, and 55 percent would be borne by the town and the rest by local businesses. The surrounding towns of Franklin and Bellingham are both on the hook for $75 million and $35 million, respectively, through the same pilot program. Further south in the Commonwealth, the City of Fall River is estimated to have spent nearly $200 million in federally-mandated sewage updates over the past decade and continues to face $8 million in debt payments on the project each year. In California, the recently approved Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit for the San Diego area is estimated to cost the regional copermittees an additional $2.8 to $5.1 billion in water quality improvement efforts. This cost is on top of the $120 million in annual permit compliance costs. While the EPA is exploring options to assist municipalities through integrated planning that address both wastewater and stormwater obligations under the Clean Water Act, unlike many municipalities, it is difficult to apply in Southern California where stormwater conveyance systems are separate and independent of wastewater collection systems. To see Congressman Kennedy’s original exchange with Administrator McCarthy click here. # # # For Immediate Release: December 18, 2013 Contact: Emily Browne (617) 332-3333 Follow Congressman Kennedy on Facebook and Twitter. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |