Clean Water Current

A series of recent news articles suggest that the Trump Administration is proposing to slash the EPA budget by up to 25% next year, which puts key environmental and funding programs squarely in the cross-hairs – including the State Revolving Loan Funds (SRFs).

As NACWA previously reported, a “Dear Colleague” letter has been circulating in the House of Representatives for members of Congress to sign onto in support of the municipal bond tax-exemption.

The EPA filed a brief on March 3 in federal litigation challenging the Agency’s approval of a general nutrient variance, defending the Agency’s actions in approving the variance and echoing NACWA’s position in the case.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed two lawsuits late February in the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth and Ninth Circuits, alleging that the EPA broke the law by denying residual designation authority (RDA) petitions asking for greater EPA control over stormwater runoff.

This week NACWA sent a letter to Rick Perry, newly-confirmed Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), congratulating him on his confirmation and requesting a meeting to discuss the interests of the Association’s public utility members—the Senate confirmed Perry on March 2 with a vote of 62-37.

EPA is seeking input and comment on a revised version of its NPDES Compliance Inspection Manual, which is intended for use by EPA field personnel conducting inspections under the Clean Water Act (CWA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.

NACWA’s CEO, Adam Krantz, participated in a panel discussion February 27 as part of the California Association of Sanitation Agency’s (CASA) 2017 DC Policy Forum, discussing water infrastructure needs from a national perspective.

President Donald Trump delivered his first address to Congress Tuesday night and called for help in rebuilding the nation's infrastructure.

President Trump signed an order February 28 directing EPA to begin the process of repealing the Clean Water Rule, also known as the “Waters of the United States” rule.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on February 28 that it lacked jurisdiction to consider a challenge to a decision by the EPA related to blending and bypasses.

Register today for a free webcast for attendees and anyone interested in attending the 2017 National Water Policy Fly-In in Washington, DC.

The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) is currently conducting a study on water affordability and is seeking input from the clean water community.

New EPA Administrator, Scott Pruitt, addressed EPA staff for the first time on February 21. Pruitt’s remarks were consistent with the themes that have already been heard from the Trump Administration, but did not get into any specifics in terms of policy actions or structural changes to the Agency.

NACWA spoke with members of the National Association of Counties (NACo) on February 25 as part their National Legislative Conference to discuss priority issues for the municipal clean water community and identify ways in which the two organizations can continue working together.

Building on his promise to reduce federal regulation, President Trump further unveiled his plans for regulatory reform via an Executive Order issued February 24

During its regular meeting with Office of Water leadership on February 23, NACWA and other water sector organizations were updated on the ongoing effort to bring the new administration up to speed on priority water-related issues.

As part of the Water Infrastructure Network (WIN), NACWA met with Senate and House Committee staff on February 21 and 22, while they were in the early stages of working on an infrastructure package.

EPA has extended the comment period until March 29 for its proposed National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for publicly owned treatment works (POTWs).

NACWA staff attended a meeting of the “Don’t Mess with Our Bonds” Coalition hosted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors on February 23.

EPA will host a “WIFIA Letter of Interest Submission and Project Selection” webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 1:00 pm to 2:30 p.m. EDT.