Clean Water Current

On Wednesday, July 27th, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that they had come to agreement on a path forward for FY2022 Budget Reconciliation legislation – after much debate and uncertainty spanning over the past year.

Last week, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee released their Fiscal Year (FY23) spending bills, including the Interior and Environment bill (text and report), which provides annual federal appropriations for U.S. EPA and its clean water programs. NACWA advocates for strong funding and policy provisions in this package each year.

Last week, NACWA provided comments on the latest draft Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA) waiver released by U.S. EPA. This latest waiver covers selected smaller programs offered by U.S. EPA Office of Water, including earmarks.

Over the last few weeks, NACWA has released a tranche of resources, white papers, and other documents designed to assist public clean water utilities in addressing key challenges and shaping their advocacy efforts and policy discussions on national issues facing the sector today.

The U.S. House of Representatives is in its final two-week legislative stretch before adjourning for the August district work period.

In comments submitted on July 15, NACWA asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service to ensure continued support for, and access to, biosolids by the nation’s farmers to meet fertilizer supply chain demands.

WaterISAC is hosting a free webinar open to all water sector stakeholders on July 27, 2:00-3:00 pm ET, that will highlight many of the free cybersecurity services offered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to critical infrastructure organizations, including water and wastewater utilities.

NACWA joined with other water sector partners and municipal groups on a July 11 letter to EPA and the White House Office of Management and Budget about potential regulation of PFAS.

In comments submitted July 13, NACWA asked EPA to more carefully consider how its proposed rule to ban chrysotile asbestos will affect the chlorine supplies used by drinking water and wastewater utilities.

EPA has released beta test versions of three tools that communities and permitting authorities can use to plan and manage different aspects of combined sewer overflow (CSO) programs.

On Tuesday, July 12th U.S. EPA released for public comment a proposed six-month waiver of the Build America Buy America Act (BABAA) domestic procurement requirements for 16 water programs managed by the agency.

The Environmental Finance Center Network, in conjunction with US EPA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, is offering a virtual training session on integrated planning on July 20, 2022 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST.

NACWA published a policy paper this week outlining the environmental and economic importance of maintaining all three well-regulated options for biosolids management – incineration, landfilling, and land application – even in the wake of concerns over per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals.

NACWA filed comments June 29 urging U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 to withdraw its objection to Ohio EPA’s draft permit for the City of Euclid, Ohio.

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held June 30 that Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 111(d) does not give the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority to address climate change by effectively mandating fuel switching at existing power plants.

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee marked up and advanced its Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Interior and Environment spending bill this week, which provides annual federal appropriations for U.S. EPA and its clean water programs.

NACWA staff joined the National Energy Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC) for its annual conference in New Orleans this week. The event brought together 750 participants from around the U.S. who are engaged in administering federal energy assistance and heightening awareness of the needs of low-income energy consumers

On Wednesday, July 20 from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm EDT, EPA’s WIFIA program will host a webinar outlining funding opportunities for municipal entities, tribes, corporations, and partnerships, in addition to private and non-governmental organizations that support prospective borrowers.

U.S. EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) initiative offers tools, training and technical assistance for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities to address climate change and to become more resilient to its impacts. CRWU staff have reached out to NACWA seeking opportunities to increase their program visibility.

NACWA filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on June 17 in the long-running case concerning the scope of federal Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction over “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), Sackett v. EPA.