December 08, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 8, 2022

Contact: Sasha Galbreath, Sasha.Galbreath@mail.house.gov 

Trone’s Water Infrastructure Requests Passed by House in FY2023 Defense Bill, Authorizes $20 Million in Investments for Boonsboro and Brunswick

Earlier this year, Congressman Trone visited the Brunswick Water Treatment Plant with Brunswick Mayor Nathan Brown. The plant will receive $15 million through Trone’s request in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman David Trone (D-MD) voted to pass the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 through the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This legislation will authorize crucial investments in America’s ports, inland waterways, flood management systems, ecosystems, and includes $20 million in Trone-requested federal funding for local projects in Brunswick and Boonsboro. The legislation now awaits passage in the Senate.

“I voted to pass the Water Resources Development Act because access to clean water is a right, not a privilege,” said Congressman David Trone. “The folks in Brunswick and Boonsboro have been dealing with an inadequate water supply for far too long, and unfortunately, they’re not alone. This federal funding will be life-changing for the more than two million Americans who lack access to running water, indoor plumbing, or wastewater services. By working with our local communities to deliver solutions from the federal level, this is government operating at its best.” 

Congressman Trone’s two requests were incorporated into the final legislation, including:

• $15 million in funding to help fix the Brunswick Water Treatment Plant/Wastewater Treatment Plant, which provides over 20% of the city’s drinking water. Right now, the city’s water distribution system turns drinking water brown and its wastewater treatment plant can barely keep up with demand when it storms. 
• $5 million in funding for the Boonsboro-Keedysville Regional Water System Reservoir Replacement Project to fix the 1.3-million-gallon Washington County drinking water reservoir, which is suffering from leaks impairing its function. As of May 2022, the town estimates that they are losing 82,000 gallons of water a day, nearly 30 million gallons a year.

Other provisions of the NDAA include:

• Increased pay and benefits for service members and their families, including a 4.6% pay raise for service members and civilian personnel;
• Support for HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions, allocating over $131 million for research activities at HBCUs and establishing a pilot program to increase research capacity at minority-serving institutions;
• Civilian harm mitigation measures, including the establishment of a Commission on Civilian Harm and a Center for Excellence in Civilian Harm Mitigation at the Department of Defense;
• New investments in science and technology competitiveness, including additional funding for next-generation capabilities in hypersonics, electronic warfare, directed energy, artificial intelligence, and software; and,
• Resources for U.S. allies and partners, including the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and funding for the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI) and Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI).

Congressman Trone’s FENTANYL Results Act was also included and passed in the NDAA.

You can read the NDAA’s bill summary here and access its full text here.

Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.

Follow Congressman Trone at @RepDavidTrone for updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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