BIDEN'S CARE OF WATERWAYS IS MORE OF A LOCAL ISSUE

BIDEN’S WATER RESOURCES IS MORE OF A LOCAL ISSUE

By: Derek Varsalona

I applaud President Biden for trying to provide clean drinking water in America.  But so much of what President Biden can do is more of a local issue than a federal one.  My fear is with the government having so much control over the water resources in America that President Biden will be able to control the water resources and dictate how the money is used to provide clean drinking water.  Each locality is different.  That is why I am calling for President Biden to allocate federal grants that can be competed for by local governments.  The control over the water resources should be then allocated to the local government and not that of the federal government.

President Biden has a noble goal of “ every person should have access to clean drinking water and a healthy environment”, President Joe Biden.  I applaud the effort.  But the effort to provide clean drinking water is not the work of the federal government.  Since every water resource is based on the locality, it is better to have local control of water resources by each city and jurisdiction than it is to have the federal government take complete control of the situation.

President Biden wants to have clean drinking water by 2030.  The federal government should only be used as a guide in this effort.  President Biden wants to protect at least 30 % of our lands and waters by 2030.  What the federal government should do is set up federal grants that can be open to competition by local government and private charities to fund their local environmental conservation efforts.  The federal government can oversee these projects but most of the strategy to develop should be left up to the local municipalities and cities not that of the federal government.

The local government should replace lead pipes that are an environmental hazard and are free of government regulations.  The government regulation is only going to slow down the process and does not take into concern each locality's individual and unique needs.  The management of the waterways and access to clean drinking water would be better served by each individual city instead of being controlled by the state and federal governments.

Under my plan, the federal government will give out the loans and look for each locality to pay back those loans on a contracted method of payment.  How those funds are utilized by each locality should be left up to the individual city, since each city's water resources are unique to their own localities.

It seems like President Biden is trying to do this.  But he is offering forgivable loans.  That is the wrong approach.  Those loans should be paid back and need to be paid back.  It is how the government can make money.  The loans should not be forgiven and the government should be allowed to collect interest payments on the loans.  The banks should also be allowed to compete for funds by giving out loans in this effort.  As always comments accepted.

Bidens Waterways is a local issue
Image: DOI.gov
Department of Interior
November 14, 2023

Source: President Joseph R. Biden. “Fact Sheet: On World Water Day, Biden-Harris Administration Builds on Historic Progress to Protect Clean Drinking Water, Restore our Nation’s Rivers, Lakes, Ponds and Wetlands.” The White House. Washington, DC: Friday, March 22, 2024.https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/22/fact-sheet-on-world-water-day-biden-harris-administration-builds-on-historic-progress-to-protect-clean-drinking-water-restore-our-nations-rivers-lakes-ponds-and-wetlands/