The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held a legislative hearing on May 15, entitled Protecting Americans At Risk of PFAS Contamination & Exposure. The hearing aimed to address the tsunami of legislative bills that have been introduced in the 116th Congress on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Assistant Administrator for Water, David Ross, along with representatives from the US Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Interior (DOI) and Commerce (DOC), hosted a roundtable on nutrient-related pollution in Baton Rouge, LA last week.

NACWA met with senior EPA Office of Water staff last week to discuss compliance issues for combined sewer overflow (CSO) communities that have reached the end of their long-term control plan (LTCP) projects. The conversation focused specifically on communities that may still not be meeting water quality standards, despite having completed all the work and CSO remediation projects that they agreed to under their LTCP, and how to address these issues through future permits.

The 7th Annual Infrastructure Week concluded Monday, May 20 with more than 500 Affiliate organizations hosting nearly 150 events across America to promote infrastructure, a number of them specifically aimed at elevating clean water priorities.

Officials from EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management, along with EPA Regions 6 and 9, held an initial conference call on May 15 with several NACWA members and the North American Development Bank (NADB) to discuss collaboration opportunities with clean water utilities from Mexico. EPA’s primary focus is to mitigate the transboundary contamination that often flows north into the United States, but the Agency is also interested in addressing aging infrastructure and funding issues.

NACWA participated in the Massachusetts Coalition for Water Resources Stewardship’s (MCWRS’s) 10th Annual Water Resources Strategies Symposium last week in Marlborough, MA as part of a panel to discuss the importance of clean water advocacy.

NACWA submitted stakeholder comments last week to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee on the need for clean water to be a top priority as part of any comprehensive infrastructure legislation during this Congress.

The US House has a full schedule this week addressing water issues, including four hearings scheduled on Wednesday, May 15.