National Association of Water Companies Indiana Chapter Names Senator Ed Charbonneau & Representative Ed Soliday 2019 Legislators of the Year
(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., October 10, 2019) – The Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) recently named State Senator Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) and State Representative Ed Soliday (R-Valparaiso) as its 2019 Legislators of the Year for their work during the 2019 legislative session to address Indiana’s water needs and ensure Hoosiers have access to clean, reliable water.
“Senator Charbonneau and Representative Soliday have been relentless advocates for Indiana’s water infrastructure,” said NAWC President and CEO, Robert F. Powelson. “We are grateful for their legislative leadership and the example they set for lawmakers across the country in their steadfast commitment to providing high-quality and reliable water services to their constituents.”
During the recent legislative session, Sen. Charbonneau authored Senate Enrolled Act 4, which serves as Indiana’s next step toward studying and managing Indiana’s water resources by encouraging a regional water planning approach that works with local utilities to examine water loss caused by aging and obsolete infrastructure. Rep. Soliday sponsored the bill in the House.
Also, in the 2019 session, Rep. Soliday authored House Enrolled Act 1406, which creates a Water Infrastructure Assistance Fund and outlines how state funding can be utilized to assist local water infrastructure programs. Sen. Charbonneau sponsored this legislation in the Indiana Senate.
“Achieving a long-term water system plan for our state is vital, and I believe the legislation passed this session is a great step in achieving this goal,” Sen. Charbonneau said. “I am honored to have my work recognized by the National Association of Water Companies, and I will continue to serve as an advocate for policies that ensure safe, clean water for all Hoosiers.”
Representative Soliday is also enthusiastic about the future of water in Indiana.
“Indiana’s water resources are a key factor when it comes to quality of life and economic opportunities across the state,” said Rep. Soliday. “We continue to make progress on putting sound water policy in place to ensure we are protecting, utilizing and enhancing these resources for Hoosiers all across the state and I am honored for this recognition by the NAWC.”
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The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) represents regulated water and wastewater companies, as well as ones engaging in partnerships with municipal utilities. NAWC members provide 73 million Americans with safe and reliable water service every day and have an exceptional record of compliance with federal and state health and environmental regulations. Ensuring this high standard of quality requires extraordinary amounts of capital investment. NAWC estimates that its ten largest members alone collectively invested $3 billion in 2018 in their water and wastewater systems. For more information about NAWC, please visit NAWC.org or follow on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
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