During a recent House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment hearing, Congressman August Pfluger of Texas’ 11th District spoke about the difficulties rural West Texas communities face in accessing safe drinking water. The hearing, titled “From Source to Tap: A Hearing to Examine Challenges and Opportunities for Safe, Reliable, and Affordable Drinking Water,” focused on how limited rainfall, population growth, and federal regulations affect water systems in these areas.
Pfluger argued that while clean drinking water is essential, strict regulations and mismatched funding often make it harder for rural communities to provide reliable water. He stated his intention to support policies that protect public health without imposing unfunded mandates or excessive bureaucracy.
“Access to reliable, clean drinking water isn’t optional, but far too often, ‘one-size-fits-none’ mandates from Washington hinder rural areas from providing this fundamental necessity to their communities. I represent a large portion of rural Texas, and will always champion policies that recognize the individual needs of areas to deliver real results at the tap,” said Rep. Pfluger. “I look forward to turning what we discussed in today’s hearing into commonsense, meaningful legislation.”
Witnesses at the hearing included Eric Hill of the Russellville Water & Sewer Board; Nicole Murley from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Lindsey Rechtin of the Northern Kentucky Water District; and Erik Olson from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
During his remarks, Pfluger highlighted how most U.S. water systems are small operations lacking resources for compliance departments or legal counsel. He said new federal requirements can have a disproportionate impact on these smaller communities by increasing costs for residents.
“This is such an important issue coming from a district in West Texas where water is both scarce and also hampered by the over-regulated nature of bureaucracy at times… So when Washington adds new mandates… these requirements land on rural communities in an outsized and negative way. And that’s my community that we’re talking about here,” said Pfluger.
He questioned Nicole Murley about whether small and rural water systems face unique challenges accessing federal infrastructure funds. Murley responded: “Yes, I would point you to a series of work that we have done on state capacity to handle the influx of IIJA funds… each state has different demographics and different challenges… We’ve done work and made recommendations to the agency for improving those areas.”
When asked where local leaders should seek assistance, Murley advised them to contact the agency directly or apply for technical assistance programs.
Pfluger also addressed long-term planning in drought-prone regions with Eric Hill. Hill described efforts taken during past droughts—such as laying temporary pipelines and building pump stations—to secure additional sources of water supply: “Today, I’m here to proudly say we should not be in another drought condition because our board had the insight and understanding of how important that water is for industry and communities to thrive.”
August Pfluger began representing Texas’ 11th District in Congress after replacing Mike Conaway in 2021 (https://pfluger.house.gov/about). Born in Houston in 1978, he currently resides in San Angelo.