NACWA hosted nearly 120 participants on March 9 for the second installment of the  Hot Topics in Clean Water Law webinar series for the 2017 fiscal year.   The webinar featured a panel of top clean water attorneys who, along with NACWA staff, engaged in a discussion of options for improving clean water regulation in the Trump Administration and recent legal developments impacting clean water utilities. 

NACWA Chief Advocacy Officer, Nathan Gardner-Andrews, provided details about NACWA’s current regulatory improvement initiative, along with an update on recent regulatory reform legislation and executive orders.  Hilary Meltzer, NACWA Legal Affairs Committee Chair and Deputy Chief of the Environmental Law Division, NYC Department of Law, then presented The Water Transfers Rule: Deference to EPA Determination Not to Regulate.  Meltzer provided an overview of the recent Second Circuit decision upholding the Water Transfers Rule along with a discussion of judicial deference in agency rulemaking. 

Russ Randle, Partner at NACWA Legal Affiliate Squire Patton Boggs, closed the webinar with a presentation on Endangered Species Act Challenges for Increased Water Recycling, in which he provided perspectives on how the Endangered Species Act can present barriers for water recycling projects in drought-stricken areas.  Following the presentations, the panel engaged in a roundtable discussion of the challenges and opportunities presented by the current regulatory climate.   Presentation slides, a recording, and speaker bios from the web seminar are posted on the handouts page.

NACWA encourages members interested in these legal issues to join the Legal Affairs Committee.  The next Hot Topics in Clean Water Law webinar is scheduled for June 7, from 2:00-3:30 pm ET.  Members are encouraged to submit potential topics to Erica Spitzig or Amanda Waters.