Local Choice
There is a national effort by special interests to pass legislation to strip American communities of their control over their water pipe procurement process and remove engineers and local communities from the design decision process by giving preference to plastic pipe materials.
Material Preference Legislation and Supporting Local Control
Despite broad opposition throughout the professional water community – including local government, engineering, and water utility groups – the plastic industry continues to try and pass top-down, red-tape-filled legislation that would both delay much-needed water projects and increase costs for communities, but also ignores the input from local communities in designing the water projects that will best serve their needs.
There is widespread opposition to this effort from numerous groups, including the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), National Rural Water Association (NRWA), National Association of County Officials (NACo), National League of Cities (NLC) and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, among others.
National League of Cities (NLC) Resolution
The NLC, an organization comprised of city, town and village leaders, adopted a resolution highlighting that "local communities are in the best position to select infrastructure materials” for their water systems.
NACo Resolution
The National Association of Counties (NACo)adopted a resolution stating that local experts and communities are the ones best situated to “properly evaluate the suitability of materials” used in their water systems.
U.S. Conference of Mayors Resolution
“…Engineers and communities need to retain local control to select infrastructure materials based on factors important to the local community.”
Take Action
Take steps to assist in protecting clean, reliable water infrastructure.
"Community specific solutions are necessary to apply funding in most economical and advantageous ways- for water infrastructure as well as other utility needs."
