This helps black entrepreneurs, but means that the government builds fewer houses and lays fewer water pipes with its limited budget.

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In a paper circulated to his Executive colleagues in April 2009 he proposed they continue to fund investment in the water service from the general budget for a further three years.

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The cause of much of the wastewater spills is storm water overflows, said the Congressional Budget Office .

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Addressing the cost rises is "daunting", says Paul Van de Water, a senior fellow at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

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But Democrats were nervous about repaying such a bond out of general taxes in a state careening from one budget deficit to another, whereas Republicans balked at making farmers and water districts pay.

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But with the last couple years being so difficult for jobs, why are budget cuts to programs that are helping these people keep their heads above water?

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The 1999 budget reduces social and environmental spending, including health, education, sanitation, water supply, land reform and welfare programmes.

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Setting up deep-water fish farms in the U.S. would require a hefty budget for defending against lawsuits from NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) activists and competing on-shore and near-shore fish farms, as well as paying an army of lobbyists to fend off opposition from states like Alaska and Maine where fishing fleet interests have considerable political pull.

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In the 2011 Budget, the government committed to using public expenditure to support households who face problems paying for their water, and households in areas with particularly high water charges.

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