1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing as a Pennsylvania constituent to urge immediate congressional action on the rapidly escalating crisis of water scarcity and long-term freshwater depletion. Water is not a niche environmental issue. It is foundational to everything: agriculture, food production, energy generation, semiconductor manufacturing, public health, sanitation, transportation infrastructure, and economic stability. When water systems fail, everything becomes more expensive and less secure — from grocery prices to housing development to power reliability. Across the United States and globally, aquifers are being depleted faster than they can recharge. Major river basins are shrinking. Reservoir levels are becoming more volatile. Agricultural regions are facing mounting irrigation stress. Whether one attributes this entirely to climate change, land mismanagement, over-allocation, or some combination, the physical reality remains the same: water shortages are increasing. This is not hypothetical. It directly affects: • Food availability and agricultural output • Grocery prices and supply chain stability • Municipal infrastructure and public health systems • Industrial production and energy reliability • Interstate water compacts and regional stability At the same time, new high-intensity industries — including large-scale AI data centers — are dramatically increasing freshwater demand. Many advanced computing facilities require substantial volumes of water for cooling. Expanding this infrastructure without strict water-use regulation during a period of growing scarcity is reckless. Water withdrawals for industrial cooling compete directly with community, agricultural, and ecosystem needs. Congress must address this with urgency and realism. I urge you to support: • Federal standards requiring full disclosure of industrial water consumption • Limits on water-intensive infrastructure in high-stress basins • Modernization of water rights and allocation frameworks to reflect present scarcity conditions • Major investment in water recycling, reuse, desalination, and infrastructure repair • Stronger aquifer monitoring and sustainable withdrawal caps • Incentives for low-water agricultural technologies and drought-resilient crops We cannot treat water as an infinite resource when measurable data shows otherwise. The United States is not immune to “water bankruptcy” — a scenario in which demand persistently exceeds sustainable supply, driving cascading economic and social consequences. This issue transcends partisan debate. Even those who disagree about the causes of climate change cannot deny falling reservoir levels, aquifer depletion, rising irrigation costs, or increasing water conflicts across states. Water is national security. It is economic stability. It is food security. It is public health. Congress must act now to fundamentally modernize how we regulate, allocate, and protect freshwater resources before scarcity becomes systemic crisis. Pennsylvanians — and Americans nationwide — deserve long-term water security backed by policy grounded in reality.