The federal district judge presiding over the challenge to EPA’s approval of Montana’s general nutrient variance heard oral argument on cross motions for summary judgment on December 12.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of a final rule on December 11 that prohibits healthcare facilities from disposing of unused hazardous waste pharmaceuticals down the drain.

NACWA provided comments to the EPA Region 2 Long Island Sound Office on December 14 regarding the latest technical report from the Regions on their Nitrogen Reduction Strategy, which is part of a broader effort to improve water quality in the Long Island Sound.

Washington D.C. is mired in uncertainty this week as Congress and the White House try to find a way to complete seven unfinished Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations bills and wrap up other end-of-year legislative priorities.

The City of Richmond’s wastewater treatment plant Nutrient Reduction Program is an outstanding example of significant investment in planning and operations leading to superior performance. Over five years, the City made significant modifications to its wastewater treatment plant, and at the end of the project the performance of the plant is making significant contributions to improving water quality in the James River and Chesapeake Bay.

(December 11, 2018) - After several months of wrangling back and forth, late last night House and Senate Farm Bill negotiators finalized a bipartisan agreement on the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Report, which is expected to be voted on and passed in both Chambers of Congress later this week. The Farm Bill includes several key conservation and water quality provisions that were championed and advocated for by NACWA. Among the key provisions included is a “[s]ense of Congress that the federal government should recognize and encourage partnerships at the watershed level between nonpoint sources and regulated point sources to advance the goals of the Clean Water Act and provide benefits to farmers, landowners, and the public.”

(December 11, 2018) – EPA released a new proposed “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) Rule that will clarify which waters are jurisdictional under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). Repealing the previous 2015 WOTUS Rule and issuing a new one has been a top priority for the Trump Administration.

(December 11, 2018) - As it considers whether to accept review over two cases that address whether the release of a pollutant that travels through groundwater to reach a Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdictional surface water constitute a “point source” discharge, the US Supreme Court on December 3 invited the Solicitor General to file a brief representing the position of the United States by January 4, 2019.