At the end of May, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill involving water infrastructure and job creation. The bill holds increased funding for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. The fund provides money for small ports in Oregon.

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley added several provision with Oregon communities specifically in mind.

The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, a new program, written by Merkley is also included in the bill. Merkley wrote the act in order to help communities finance safe drinking and wastewater infrastructure projects.

The act was introduced by Merkley in 2012 in the WRDA bill, which passed in 2013. the WRDA bill began a five-year pilot program allowing the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency to provide loans and loan guarantees for flood control, water supply and other water infrastructure projects.

“The best thing we can do right now is to make needed investments in our infrastructure that help create middle class jobs,” Merkley said. “This bill creates jobs by funding critically needed dredging in our coastal ports. In addition, this bill contains my program for financing much-needed water projects across America”

Also in the bill is a “Buy America” provision. This provision ensures that taxes go to aid jobs in water infrastructure projects which are funded by the WIFIA. This provision allows more communities to perform needed construction maintenance and repairs with out charging local ratepayers.

“If we don’t make things in America, we won’t have a middle class in America,” Merkley said. “Today’s bipartisan vote is a huge victory for the principle that American tax dollars should support American jobs.”