VIDEO: Lofgren Announces San Jose Virtual Guest for State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) announced that Jessica Kissel, a junior civil engineer at San Jose Water, will be her virtual guest for President Biden's State of the Union address tonight.

"One of the things we do around State of the Union is highlight something that matters to Americans. The bipartisan infrastructure law, signed into law by President Biden late last year, provides a much-needed, historic investment to comprehensively repair and modernize our nation's crumbling and outdated infrastructure. It matters to every community in our country, and I expect it will make a huge impact in my district," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren. "Before the bill passed, I received a well-written message from Jessica Kissel, a civil engineer in my hometown, requesting that the proposal remains broad and includes updates to our water infrastructure. I valued her input, and agreed with her points. Ultimately, the bipartisan law included the largest-ever investment in American water infrastructure. It is my pleasure to have Jessica join me as my ‘virtual guest' for the State of the Union this year to highlight the importance of improving our water infrastructure."

"I work specifically with our drinking water distribution system in the Bay Area. Some of our pipes are more than 140 years old and need to be replaced. If only transportation projects were considered in the infrastructure law, the roads over these pipes would be replaced, but when the pipes break because we have not invested in them, the new road would be ruined. It is really great to have this infrastructure law that will help civil engineers and so many others make needed repairs in our communities," said Jessica Kissel.

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Background

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law by President Biden, invests more than $50 billion through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) highly-successful water infrastructure programs, including:

• $20+ billion for safe drinking water.
• $15 billion in dedicated funding to replace lead pipes.
• $12+ billion to ensure clean water for communities.
• $1.8 billion to protect regional waters.
• $135 million for additional water improvements.

There are still an estimated 6 to 10 million lead service lines in cities and towns across the country, many of which are in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. The bipartisan infrastructure law will deliver resources to remove these lead pipes, in line with President Biden's goal of removing 100% of lead service lines. This means that millions of families will be able to rely on drinking water that iis safe from lead and other contaminants.

The nation's wastewater and stormwater management systems that are critical to safely returning used water to the environment are aging and breaking down. With more than $12 billion for clean water infrastructure, communities will be able to upgrade these critical systems.

Click here to view or download the full EPA fact sheet about water infrastructure.

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