MA Home Builders back #InvestInWaterMA

BOSTON--The Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Massachusetts (HBRAMA), made up of 1,400 members representing more than 300,000 employees statewide, has become the latest major business group to join the #InvestInWaterMA coalition backing critically needed investments in water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure.

The #InvestInWaterMA campaign, organized and led by the Utility Contractors Association of New England (UCANE), now counts 11 top business, environmental, and water-infrastructure groups as members and supporters and continues to seek new supporters throughout the Commonwealth.

“Adequate and resilient water infrastructure, including potable water systems and sewer and stormwater management, is a prerequisite for our members to build the housing required to meet the needs of the citizens of the Commonwealth,’’ said HBRAMA President Emerson Clauss III. ”Not only does housing benefit from reliable water systems, but also all sectors of the state’s economy stand to benefit.’’

Mr. Clauss added: “A significant amount of capital expenditure is necessary to maintain the cleanliness, reliability, and efficiency of all water systems. Collaboration between public and private sectors is necessary, including a robust financial commitment at the local, state, and federal levels.’’

MBRA joins a rapidly growing list of coalition members that now includes the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBIO), NAIOP Massachusetts, the 495/MetroWest Partnership, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Water Works Association, the Wastewater Advisory Committee of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the New England Water Works Association, and the Charles River Watershed Association.

Jeff Mahoney, executive director of UCANE and lead organizer of the #InvestInWaterMA coalition, said, “On behalf of all our coalition partners, I thank HBRAMA for adding their important and influential voice to the #InvestInWaterMA campaign. Having the backing of an association representing more than 300,000 men and women working in every one of the Commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns underscores how critical water infrastructure is for housing development, smart growth, environmental protection, public health, and keeping Massachusetts an outstanding place to live, work, and play.”

Over the last 10 months, the #InvestInWaterMA campaign has been steadily promoting public and policymaker awareness of the need for water infrastructure investment and its benefits, including through a video, a billboard along Route 1 in Sharon near Gillette Stadium, and regular press and social-media outreach.

With Massachusetts legislators and cities, towns, and water and sewer districts and agencies poised to make crucial decisions this year about investing federal and state infrastructure and COVID relief funding, the #InvestInWaterMA campaign has highlighted a water infrastructure funding gap estimated by the Office of the State Auditor in 2017 as $18 billion over 20 years for drinking-water infrastructure alone. Also unfunded are billions of dollars more in critically needed upgrades, repairs, and expansions for sanitary sewers, stormwater facilities, and remediation of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) that still pour millions of gallons of raw sewage into rivers like the Merrimack during storms.

The campaign has also emphasized what a proven winner water infrastructure investment is for generating and sustaining economic growth, with up to $20 in private-sector economic activity generated by every $1 in investment, according to an authoritative study conducted by the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Policy at UMass-Boston.

You can learn more about the #InvestInWaterMA campaign by visiting https://ucane.com/InvestInWaterMA and following UCANE on Twitter at @WeDigNewEngland and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/utility-contractors'-association-of-new-england-inc--ucane-/?viewAsMember=true

The Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Massachusetts (HBRAMA) is a non-profit trade association consisting of 1,400 single and multi-family builders, developers, remodelers, suppliers and other allied professionals to the residential construction industry. HBRAMA is one of the 50 state associations within the federation of associations that make up the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). HBRAMA’s purpose is to represent the interests of its affiliated associations by maintaining constructive involvement in government and regulatory affairs in order to meet the housing needs of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its residents, including providing and expanding opportunities for all consumers to have safe, decent and affordable housing.

Established in 1954, the Utility Contractors Association of New England, Inc. (UCANE) is comprised of more than 250 major contractors and associated businessmen and women who perform underground utility construction projects, including water, sewer, electrical, gas, fiber-optic telecommunications, and more, primarily in Massachusetts and throughout New England. Our membership is made up of both union and non-union companies ranging in size from small family-owned businesses to large corporations, as well as MBE, WBE and DBE firms.