Issue Position: Last Minute Passage of Norton Bill Thwarts Water Bill Increase, Feds Refusal to Pay

Issue Position

As one of its last order of business, Congress passed Norton's anti-pollution stormwater runoff bill to require the federal government to pay fees for the management of stormwater runoff from federal properties, the same fees the federal government requires the D.C. government and residents to pay for their properties. Her bill overturns a Government Accountability Office decision that federal agencies are exempt from the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority's Impervious Area Charge, which exists to protect local waterways, like the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, from runoff from surface areas such as roofs, parking lots, and sidewalks. The Norton bill draws on precedent that requires the federal government to pay for utilities, like other users; otherwise, the runoff costs would have been passed onto D.C. residents. Norton, the primary sponsor of the first Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection bill, supports the impervious area charge but refused to allow the federal government to call a fee a tax in order to exempt itself from payment. Because almost a quarter of the land in the District is federally owned, the exemption would have been costly for residents.

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