Clean Water Current

NACWA submitted comments on March 14 on EPA’s proposed Public Notification Requirements for Combined Sewer Overflows to the Great Lakes Basin, recommending that EPA make the requirements more practical for utilities to implement.

The Maryland House of Delegates, Economic Matters Committee held a hearing on House Bill 1239, Nonwoven Disposable Products – Advertising and Labeling, on March 15.

NACWA, joined by the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) and National Rural Water Association (NRWA), held a Congressional Briefing for congressional staff —titled, “Clean Water & Safe Drinking Water 101”–on March 17, at the Capitol Visitors Center.

NACWA supported a “Dear Colleague” letter in the House of Representatives, which congressional members could sign to support the preservation of tax-exempt municipal bonds.

Staff for EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a directive via email to EPA Headquarters and the Regional Offices earlier this month, consolidating all major Agency decision-making at the Administrator’s office.

The Association submitted comments on March 20 to EPA’s recent Request for Scientific Views for establishing Human Health Recreational Ambient Water Quality Criteria and/or Swimming Advisories for Microcystins and Cylindrospermopsin.

NACWA hosted the first quarterly National Stormwater Advocacy Network (NSAN) conference call of 2017 to discuss EPA’s draft Community Solutions for Stormwater Management: Guide for Voluntary Long-Term Planning.

Last week, the EPA and the West Coast Infrastructure Exchange, in partnership with the University of North Carolina (UNC) Environmental Finance Center, released a new examination of nine projects that utilize public-private and public-public partnerships (P3) to develop water infrastructure projects.

NACWA has been busy on Capitol Hill in recent days, meeting with key congressional offices to discuss clean water funding issues and potential work on a large-scale infrastructure package.

NACWA hosted nearly 120 participants on March 9 for the second installment of the Hot Topics in Clean Water Law webinar series for the 2017 fiscal year.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) held a press event March 9 to release its Infrastructure Report Card for the nation. This report card is issued every four years, and its results are widely reported in the press.

NACWA joined with the U.S. Water Alliance (Alliance) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) to co-host a One Water Listening Session in Washington, DC on March 9.

The Maryland Senate voted on March 10 to approve Senate Bill 280, Nonwoven Disposable Products – Advertising and Labeling by a vote of 34-12.

The Trump Administration is expected to release its initial “skinny budget” proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 on March 16, providing top-line numbers for federal agencies and outlining which key federal programs may see an increase or decrease in funding levels.

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.