WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) released the following statement after voting to keep the government open, provide much-needed disaster aid to hard-hit communities across the country, and completely fund the repair and expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) to stop the flows of polluted cross-border sewage:

“While there were some bumps along the road, we arrived at a deal that keeps the government open and doesn’t punish the American people for Washington’s dysfunction during the holidays. I much preferred the original deal, which would have delivered more benefits to our communities while cutting government spending by lowering prescription drug prices. This ordeal will make it difficult to trust them the next time we have an agreement. However, I could not in good conscience allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good; the price would have hurt the livelihoods of millions of military servicemembers, federal employees, and contractors. As a co-chair of the Bipartisan Fiscal Forum, I am glad we also removed the irresponsible debt limit increase that would have gotten Republicans off the hook for their costly and reckless tax cut for the wealthy.

“Just a few months ago, we broke ground on the project to fix and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant — now we will have the money to finish the job. San Diegans have been calling on the federal government to put an end to this crisis for years, and today’s accomplishment is a credit to their advocacy. It is long overdue, and won’t happen overnight, but our community will see the results as these fixes are completed and Mexico also improves its wastewater infrastructure. We must continue to monitor and study how this pollution hurts people in affected communities. I will be zealously monitoring the progress of repairs to ensure we are never in this position again.”

The legislation, which passed the House tonight, goes to the Senate next, before it goes to  President Biden for his signature.

The government funding bill includes $250 million for repairs and expansion of the SBIWTP. The funding for the dilapidated plant, which treats polluted water flowing from Mexico, results from Rep. Peters’ years of work to convince his colleagues, congressional leadership, and the President of the urgent need to fix this horrible problem. This surge in federal investment will fully fund the repairs and expansion needed to double the wastewater treatment plant’s capacity and combat cross-border pollution that fouls our beaches, sickens San Diegans, hurts our economy, and reduces our military preparedness. 

In September, Rep. Peters and Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) led a request to congressional leadership for these exact funds to repair and upgrade the SBIWTP in any upcoming disaster relief funding package. These funds build on the $400 million the Congressional delegation has previously secured and include money for unexpected expenses and contingencies.

Further Background:

Representative Peters has, for years, worked to address the cross-border pollution fouling San Diego’s coastal waters, including pushing for additional funding to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP. The following are some recent actions:

2024

1. In January, Rep. Peters took to the House floor to demand that the President’s requested $310 million to fix and expand the dilapidated SBIWTP be included in any upcoming spending deal.
2. In February, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation to ask U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro about the effects of cross-border pollution on Navy operations.
3. In March, Rep. Peters celebrated the inclusion of $156 million, at his request, for the International Boundary and Water Commission’s (IBWC) construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bill. The IBWC is the federal agency tasked with operating and maintaining the SBIWTP.
4. In May, Rep. Peters joined Rep. Veronica Escobar (TX-16) in a bipartisan request for $278 million for the IBWC’s construction budget in the Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations bill.
5. In August, Rep. Peters hosted Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma on a tour of the broken wastewater treatment plant.
6. In September, Rep. Peters joined members of San Diego’s Congressional delegation to reiterate their call for a federal state of emergency declaration amid high levels of toxic gases.

2023

1. In June, Rep. Peters led a letter with other members of the San Diego Congressional delegation to the governor of Baja California urging accountability for the Mexican government’s commitments to build wastewater treatment infrastructure.
2. In July, members of the San Diego congressional delegation requested that the Environmental Protection Agency assist with directing environmental justice funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to help stop the flow of pollutants and urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to tour the broken plant.
3. Also in July, they sent a letter to President Biden and submitted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024, calling on the administration to declare this crisis a federal emergency.
4. In August, he led two letters to the Office of Management and Budget and to OMB and the State Department, calling for urgent additional funding to confront this crisis. 
5. In September, he proposed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior, Environment, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost U.S.- Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Grant Program funding. Additionally, he proposed two amendments to the Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill to boost annual construction funding to the USIBWC to $100 million.
6. In October, Rep. Peters led a bipartisan letter to the Department of State demanding a complete account of how the SBIWTP fell into such a severe state of disrepair.
7. In December, he led a letter urging leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate to include President Biden’s $310 million supplemental budget request to repair the SBIWTP in any upcoming funding package.

In 2021, the San Diego Congressional delegation secured $300 million in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to fund an expansion of the SBIWTP from 25 million gallons per day (mgd) to 50 mgd. This funding, in combination with Fiscal Year 2024 funding, has supported the planning, study, and design of projects critical for the rehabilitation and expansion of SBIWTP. However, last year, we learned that significantly more funding is needed to rehabilitate the plant before the IBWC can expand it.

In previous years, Peters and colleagues have secured funding, introduced legislation, called for investigations, and arranged a visit by EPA Administrator Regan in response to the wastewater contamination crisis. 

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