Clean Water Current

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on Tuesday, February 26 titled, EPA's Enforcement Program: Taking the Environmental Cop Off the Beat.

The Senate voted last week to confirm Andrew Wheeler as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, in a mostly party line vote of 52-47. Wheeler had been serving as the acting administrator since July 2018.

NACWA hosted a February 27 meeting of water sector associations and other groups interested in advocating for changing the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) recommended disposal options for certain pharmaceuticals.

NACWA spoke as part of a panel of experts last week at the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) annual DC member Fly-In.

The March 11 deadline to make hotel reservations for the National Water Policy Fly-In is just around the corner – make your plans now to attend!

NACWA met with farmers from across the country February 21, during a meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington, DC. As part of an ongoing dialogue with national agriculture groups, the conversation focused on how to incentivize clean water agencies and farmers to work together at the watershed level to address water quality impacts caused by nutrients.

A final rule published by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the February 22 Federal Register prohibits healthcare facilities from disposing of unused hazardous waste pharmaceuticals by flushing or pouring down the drain into sewer systems. Previously, the domestic sewage exclusion of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) allowed flushing of these types of pharmaceuticals.

he National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) released a new report on Improving the EPA Multi-Sector General Permit for Industrial Stormwater Discharges. Although this report focuses on the nationwide multi-sector general permit (MSGP) for industrial stormwater, there are some interesting aspects that municipal stormwater utilities should be aware of.

EPA reached out to NACWA in December of 2018 for comments and feedback on its draft Water Reuse Action Plan. NACWA submitted comments last week focused on the fact that water reuse and recycling regulatory efforts have been traditionally maintained at the state level and must continue without federal regulatory intervention.

The March 11 deadline to make hotel reservations for the National Water Policy Fly-In is almost here – make your plans now to attend and don’t miss this critical advocacy event!

Over four months into the 2019 Fiscal Year (FY) and on the heels of the longest government shutdown in US history, Congress last week agreed on a bipartisan spending bill that will fund the government, including EPA, for the remainder of FY 2019, ending September 30. President Trump signed the bill into law on February 15.

EPA published a final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Updates Rule on February 12, deferring action, for now, on the more controversial items that the Agency was exploring in early proposals.

EPA unveiled its much anticipated Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (PFAS) Action Plan on February 14, which highlights how the Agency will tackle growing concerns over these contaminants.

EPA and the Department of the Army’s proposed rule narrowing the definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS) was finally published in the Federal Register on February 14.

NACWA’s recent Winter Conference included a compelling panel presentation on how various utilities are pursuing a variety of community benefit programs.

The US Supreme Court announced this morning that it has granted certiorari in Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund (Case 18-260) to resolve the circuit split on the limited question of whether the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires a permit when pollutants originate from a point source but are conveyed to navigable waters by a nonpoint source, such as groundwater.

EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) released its annual report on February 8 covering its initiatives and actions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. The report looks at several different criminal and civil enforcement “outcomes” including enforcement actions initiated and concluded, as well as penalties assessed.

With the 116th Congress now well under way, NACWA encourages all of its members to engage with their respective U.S. Representatives and Senators about the value that public clean water utilities bring to their communities and the challenges faced each day in providing these essential services.

The Director of Charlotte Water, Angela Lee, testified on behalf of NACWA and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) last week before the full House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee regarding the specific needs of the clean water sector.

NACWA joined with more than 100 organizations across the infrastructure spectrum last week — representing transportation, water, airports and many more — to underscore the need for strong legislative progress on key infrastructure issues.