[미국] 물인프라 투자 지원 위해 '미국 기업 물연합' 출범

물연합, 물인프라 투자 늘리고 물접근성 보장키 위해 플랫폼 제공

미국 기업 물연합 (American Business Water Coalition, ABWC)이 지난 13일 공식 출범했다. ABWC는 물인프라에 대한 미 연방 정부의 투자 확대의 필요성이 증가함에 따라 설립됐다. 

상하수 및 우수 인프라는 인간의 건강과 환경을 보호하는 데 필수적이며, 우리가 누리는 경제적 번영과 높은 삶의 질을 제공한다. 인구의 증가에 따른 수요를 충족시키기 위해 국가 수도 시스템을 복원하는 데 향후 25년 동안 최소 1조 달러의 비용이 소모될 것으로 추정된다. 2019년 수도 서비스 중단으로 11개의 물 의존 산업에 510억 달러의 경제적 손실이 발생한 것처럼 연방 정부의 투자가 크게 증가하지 않으면 미국의 모든 기업은 큰 위험에 처할 수 있다.

ABWC는 참여 기업과 기업에게 서비스를 제공하는 유틸리티 기업을 위한 플랫폼 역할을 수행할 것이며, 의회와 행정부에 물인프라에 대한 투자를 늘리고 기업과 지역 유틸리티 간의 관계 강화를 촉구할 것이다. ABWC의 경영진은 회원들에게 홍보, 디지털, 소셜 및 디자인 도구와 서비스를 제공해 미국의 현대적이고 탄력적인 물인프라 구축을 지원할 것이다.

매 스티븐스(Mae Stevens) 배너 공공 업무(Banner Public Affairs)의 수석 부사장이자 베너 물인프라 프랙티스(Banner Water Infrastructure Practice)의 의장은 "모든 기업은 미국의 물인프라에 의존하고 있으며, 투자 부족으로 인해 미국 기업은 경제적 손해를 보고있다"면서 "연방 정부는 현재 미국의 물인프라에 대한 투자의 5% 미만을 지원하고 나머지 95%의 투자는 일반 대중으로부터 나온다"라고 말했다.

그는 이어서 "미국 상수도 시설의 83%는 외부 자금 없이는 양호한 상태를 유지할 수 없다고 생각한다"라며 "우리는 의회와 행정부에게 이 상황이 얼마나 광범위한 문제인지 인식시키고 생명 유지 부문인 물인프라에 적절한 자금을 제공할 필요가 있다고 피력할 것이다. 이는 우리가 ABWC를 출범시킨 이유다. 전체 경제를 뒷받침하는 인프라를 지원할 수 있는 플랫폼을 기업에 제공하기 위해서이다”라고 덧붙였다.

[원문보기]

American Business Water Coalition Launched to Support Water Infrastructure Investment

Coalition provides businesses with platform to urge Congress to increase investment in water infrastructure and ensure access to safe, reliable and affordable water for all

 

The American Business Water Coalition (ABWC), established to address the critical need for more federal investment into our nation’s water infrastructure, officially launched today. Our wastewater, drinking water and stormwater infrastructure are essential for the protection of human and environmental health, and provide for the economic prosperity and the high quality of life we enjoy. It is estimated that restoring the country’s water system to meet the needs of the population will cost at least $1 trillion over the next 25 years. Without a dramatic increase in federal investment, every business in America is at major risk, as illustrated in 2019 when water service disruptions resulted in a $51 billion economic loss for just 11 water-reliant industries.

ABWC will serve as a platform for participating businesses—and the utilities that serve them— to urge Congress and the Administration to increase investment in water infrastructure, and foster relationships between businesses and their local utilities. The coalition’s executive team, led by Mae Stevens, senior vice president at Banner Public Affairs (Banner) and chair of the Banner Water Infrastructure Practice, will provide members with the lobbying, public relations, digital, social and design tools and services needed to advocate for building modern and resilient water infrastructure in America.

“Every business is dependent on our nation’s water infrastructure, and underinvestment is costing American businesses every day,” said Stevens. “The federal government currently pays less than five percent of the investment into our nation’s water infrastructure, leaving the other 95 percent of investment to come from the general public. 83 percent of water utilities in the U.S. believe that they cannot maintain a state of good repair without external funding. We need Congress and the Administration to recognize how widespread this situation is and provide adequate funding for this life-sustaining sector. That is why we have launched ABWC: to provide our nation’s businesses with a platform to advocate for infrastructure that underpins the entire economy.”

Founding members of ABWC include:

1.     Jacobs

2.     Louisville MSD (member of the advisory council)

3.     Seattle Public Utilities (member of the advisory council)

4.     Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (member of the advisory council)

“Investing in water infrastructure in strategic and innovative ways can help us tackle climate change, lift up communities, protect public health, create jobs and strengthen the economy,” said Susan Moisio, global water market director of Jacobs, a Fortune 500 company. “Jacobs is joining ABWC to help raise awareness for and attain the infrastructure funding needed to secure water for our nation’s future.”

“Louisville MSD is a key provider of three services in one utility – wastewater collection and treatment, stormwater management, and flood protection,” said Tony Parrott, CEO of Louisville MSD. “Without these services people cannot live, work, or play in our community. From a business perspective, economic growth and vitality cannot be achieved sustainably without what we do. Louisville MSD is excited to participate in the Business Water Coalition as a way to bring more voices of advocacy to a dialogue on water infrastructure needs and legislative support.”

“Seattle Public Utilities serves 1.5 million customers every day, and we believe in fostering healthy people, environment, and economy,” said Andrew Lee, general manager and CEO of Seattle Public Utilities. “We support a strong infrastructure system to serve our customers and the greater public. We look forward to working with the American Business Water Coalition to elevate much-needed investments in our nation’s water infrastructure. The coalition’s launch is a positive opportunity for our utility and other water utilities across the country.”

“Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) provides our community with drinking water, stormwater and wastewater services, all of which are critical for the city of New Orleans to function and prosper,” said Ghassan Korban, executive director of SWBNO. “Adequate federal funding would make it much easier to provide these services without disruption to the businesses and people of New Orleans 365 days a year. We are thrilled to join ABWC as a member of the advisory council to help voice these concerns and raise awareness of water infrastructure needs.”

Current and future ABWC members will have opportunities to help secure long-term water infrastructure funding, which, once achieved, would create 800,000 new jobs. To learn more about the coalition’s offerings and objectives, please visit the website, found here.

[출처 = ABWC(https://www.businesswatercoalition.com/news/american-business-water-coalition-launched-to-support-water-infrastructure-investment) / 2023년 6월 13일]