Clean Water Current

The White House announced May 12 that it has nominated Susan Bodine as Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA).

Capitol Hill was a busy place last week, as legislators passed a $1.2 trillion Continuing Resolution for FY 2017 spending to avoid a government shutdown and the House approved a healthcare reform bill. In addition to these major Congressional priorities, legislators also introduced several important pieces of water legislation.

A number of NACWA utility members met May 8 with senior staff from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) to share an important municipal perspective on Clean Water Act (CWA) enforcement issues, especially the role of the federal government around municipal CWA consent decrees.

As anticipated, President Donald Trump signed the $1.2 trillion Omnibus spending package on May 5, keeping the government funded through September 30, the close of Fiscal Year (FY) 2017.

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee plans to hold an oversight hearing May 18 on water affordability and integrated planning issues.

NACWA and the Association’s State & Regional Exchange network – comprised of representatives from 18 state and regional clean water organizations - discussed recent legal, regulatory, and legislative advocacy challenges and issues via conference call on May 3.

NACWA participated in the annual Wet Weather Partnership Conference May 2-4 in Indianapolis, providing an update on Trump Administration actions and legislative developments.

Registration is now open for a timely and free webinar offered by NACWA on May 24 at 2:00 pm ET, that will provide an update on the status of municipal clean water advocacy priorities under the Trump Administration and the new Congress.

EPA’s Office of Water gathered input from the public on potential areas for regulatory reform during a three-hour conference call listening session on May 2.

The Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC), which oversees utility partnership with federal agencies on matters related to security and emergency preparedness, held its quarterly meeting in Washington, DC on May 2-3.

NACWA was pleased to provide a national overview at a conference in Brooklyn, NY on May 3, bringing together the leadership of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) and Paris’ wastewater treatment agency (SIAAP) — two of the largest clean water agencies in the world.

NACWA will join a broad coalition of organizations to support Infrastructure Week, May 15 – 19.

After Congress passed the FY2017 Omnibus spending bill last week that maintains the funding levels for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), many feel that now is the perfect time to reflect upon the importance of this program and how it contributes to the improvement of our nation’s clean water infrastructure.

Congress and the Trump Administration have reached agreement on an Omnibus spending bill to keep the Federal Government funded through the end of September. It includes funding for many of NACWA’s key priorities.

NACWA has been involved in a variety of meetings with top EPA officials recently to ensure that any regulatory reform efforts fully account for the public clean water agency perspective.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced bipartisan legislation on April 24 aimed at improving federal efforts to identify and respond to the public health effects of emerging contaminants.

Registration is now open for a timely and free webinar offered by NACWA on May 24 at 2:00 PM ET that will provide an update on the status of key Association advocacy priorities under the Trump Administration and the new Congress.

The NACWA Facility & Collection System (FACS) Committee held a web meeting on April 27 to discuss blending and wet weather treatment, including recent legal developments and potential regulatory reform related to blending, which is a focus for NACWA advocacy with EPA.

NACWA’s Water Reuse Workgroup held a call April 25 to examine current legislation affecting reuse funding and financing.

Eileen J. O’Neill, Executive Director of the Water Environment Federation (WEF), and Amanda Waters, NACWA General Counsel, updated and briefed water professionals April 27 at the KY/TN Water Environment Association (WEA) 2017 Management Conference in Murfreesboro, TN.