After a weeklong Memorial Day work period, Congress gets back to work this week in DC for what is expected to be a busy summer ahead. In the House, several Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) appropriations bills are anticipated to come before the full chamber for a vote, including the Interior & Environment Appropriations bill, which passed through the committee in late May.

NACWA’s specialty conference for clean water communicators, Strategic Communications:H2O (StratComm), convened in Cleveland, OH this week, with more than 120 participants from all over the country—the largest turnout ever in its three year history.

Many NACWA members across the country have been affected by severe weather events in the last few weeks, seeing their communities suffer often devastating impacts. For those members, and the communities they serve, please know that we are here to support you. If there is any way that NACWA staff or our national network of utilities and experts can be useful to you, we encourage you to contact us at 202-833-2672 or utilize our online Engage forum.

The EPA announced an application process for $14 million worth of grants to help reduce nutrients in the Great Lakes Basin. The grants will be focused on reducing nutrients from agricultural and stormwater runoff and are being issued pursuant to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) action plan. NACWA has successfully advocated in recent years for strong federal funding for EPA’s geographical programs like the GLRI and is pleased to see the funds being made available.

The House Appropriations Committee passed its Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Interior & Environment Appropriations bill on May 22, which funds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and included a significant increase for key EPA programs. This occurred on the same day President Trump broke off discussions with Congressional leaders on a comprehensive infrastructure package.