EPA announced last week that it has received 51 requests in the third round of funding for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program totaling $6.6 billion, which exceeds the $6 billion EPA has available in funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. This demonstrates the critical need for investment in our nation’s water infrastructure and the strong interest in the WIFIA program.

The US House of Representatives passed PFAS legislation last week, as part of the annual National Defense Authorization (NDAA) bill, that has potential serious consequences for public clean water utilities.

EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance released a memo last week further empowering states to take the lead on environmental enforcement issues, furthering EPA’s efforts to place states in the lead of enforcement actions.

NACWA held its quarterly conference call with its State and Regional Partners on July 11. The group heard from the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) regarding their efforts to push non-flushable wipes legislation at the state level and the testing and grassroots initiatives they are engaging in between sessions.

NACWA was honored to be invited to speak at the Arkansas Water & Wastewater Managers Association’s (AWWMA) Annual Conference last week to learn about the Arkansas clean water sector’s priorities and challenges, and to present a national update on NACWA’s advocacy priorities.

As Congress returns from its July 4th Recess, the U.S. House of Representatives has increased its focus on PFAS, including legislative language that has potential serious consequences for public clean water utilities. Immediate NACWA utility action to contact Members of the House is critical to address these concerns.

The US Supreme Court has announced it will hear oral arguments November 6 in a closely watched case over whether pollutants that travel via groundwater can be regulated under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

NACWA submitted comments to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week on EPA’s Study of Oil and Gas Extraction Wastewater Management, which considered the current management practices for wastewater generated by both conventional and unconventional (“fracking”) oil and gas extraction from onshore facilities.