The prospects for Congress passing another comprehensive COVID-19 package before the end of the year were already fading in recent weeks, as NACWA reported earlier this month. The passing on September 18th of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the highly partisan debate surrounding a new Supreme Court nomination is further tempering expectations for other significant bipartisan legislation, including COVID-19 relief, being passed by Congress this year.

With the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30th fast approaching, Congress is moving to pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR) in the coming days. The CR will avoid a government shutdown and fund all federal agencies, including EPA, at current spending levels until December 11th

In early August, EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) began evaluating how EPA is addressing harmful algal blooms (HABs) and the Agency’s operational efficiency in using federal funds to achieve greater public health and environmental protections. OIG recently reached out to NACWA to help inform this review.

As with most conferences this year, the Water and Finance Conference went virtual over two weeks from September 8 to September 17. NACWA, a partner of the event, participated in two sessions during the conference — a session on evolving federal and state regulations against the backdrop of funding opportunities and a session on long-term sustainability in a time of uncertainty.

NACWA hosted the latest Hot Topics in Clean Water webinar last Wednesday, September 16 with a focus the ongoing battle over “flushable” wipes.

For three consecutive years, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) has hosted a cleanup event at the Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline Regional Park in Oakland, California. The shoreline park is a restored wetland and a public recreation space set amidst a densely populated urban area. Trash from littering and from the tides builds up along the shoreline, adversely impacting the park’s beauty and its function as habitat for local wildlife.

Conference negotiations between the House and Senate on a final Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2020, which could authorize billions of additional dollars for the clean water sector, are in full swing as the two chambers work to hammer out a final bill with the goal of sending it to President Trump’s desk this Fall.

Thanks to years of tireless effort by NACWA, its members and the Association’s water sector partners, EPA has taken a major step toward overhauling its financial capability assessment methodology to better account for the impacts on economically disadvantaged communities.