The U.S. EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) Biosolids Panel will be completing its much-anticipated review of the Agency’s proposed Standardized Framework for Sewage Sludge Chemical Risk Assessment (“Framework”) and Biosolids Screening Tool in the coming weeks. The draft Framework reflects the process EPA plans to use to initially screen pollutants that are found in biosolids and to determine whether a formal risk assessment for a given pollutant is warranted.

On June 21, EPA released the final Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule, which sets the renewable fuel target volumes through 2025. NACWA was pleased that the final rule includes a new provision for co-digested food waste that will help clean water utilities benefit from the RFS program.

NACWA met with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on June 27 to provide input for a report on water sector cybersecurity. GAO initiated the report at the request of the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee. The Co-Chairs of NACWA’s Security and Emergency Preparedness Committee – Talyon Sortor and Carol Adams – participated in the meeting.

Earlier this spring, NACWA reported how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had initiated a water and wastewater utility survey of customer debt and affordability issues.

After a short delay, EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) panel on biosolids will meet for its third and final meeting to review the Agency’s Draft Framework for Assessing Pollutants in Biosolids and its proposed Biosolids Screening Tool (BST).

NACWA staff have been on the road recently with Association partners and members discussing key policy issues.

After the U.S. Census Bureau discontinued its use of “urbanized areas” in the 2020 Census and for future censuses, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a final rule updating its Clean Water Act regulations that relied upon the definition of an urbanized area for defining the boundaries of a small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s).