NACWA, along with the Water Environment Federation, the American Water Works Association, the US Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities, wrote EPA Administrator Michael Regan and the Acting Administrator of the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Dominic Mancini, November 10 to raise concerns with EPA’s revised Financial Capability Assessment Guidance.

NACWA’s Board of Directors and many leaders of the Association’s standing committees met this week in St. Pete Beach, Florida for their annual Leadership Meeting. The event provides an opportunity for NACWA’s utility leadership to discuss key issues facing the Association and clean water sector and plan for the year ahead.

NACWA took part this week in the 2022 Water Environment Horizon Conference in Austin, Texas to discuss clean water legislative and regulatory efforts happening at the federal level. The conference was hosted by the Water Environment Association of Texas (WEAT) and the Texas Association of Clean Water Agencies (TACWA).

In comments filed with EPA this week, NACWA expressed serious concerns with the Agency’s proposal to designate two PFAS substances – PFOA and PFOS – as hazardous under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and encouraged EPA to take steps to shield clean water utility ratepayers from liability for PFAS cleanups.

Every election cycle update comes with the key caveat or warning that results are still incoming, and that readers should expect the potential for changes. That sentiment could not be more true when analyzing the election that took place on Tuesday. However, the current results suggest that there should be limited disruptions or changes to who holds key positions overseeing programs critical to the public clean water sector.

Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) every 5 years is required to publish a list of unregulated chemicals that are known or anticipated to occur in drinking water and may pose risks.

NACWA is pleased to announce that this month a special feature on biosolids will air on the Public Broadcast Service (PBS) Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid.

Last week, U.S. EPA released additional guidance, Build America, Buy America Act Implementation Procedures for EPA Office of Water Federal Financial Assistance Programs, related to the Build America, Buy American Act (BABAA) changes that were made in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

NACWA and other water sector associations sent a joint letter to the White House on Nov. 4 asking for intervention to avert a rail worker strike in early December. A strike was averted in September when the White House negotiated a potential agreement with rail worker unions. However, the agreement has not been ratified by all the unions, leaving open the possibility of a strike.

On November 4th, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 29 Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs) that will help communities across the country access federal funding for infrastructure and greenhouse gas reduction projects that improve public health and environmental protection.

The race to net-zero emissions is on. Just as the water sector is helping make the world more sustainable by delivering clean water and reliable sanitation to communities, we also can play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to help slow climate change.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) filed comments on Nov. 7 expressing serious concerns with EPA’s proposed rule to designate Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) as hazardous substances under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

NACWA reminds all of its members that the next few days are the last chance to file comments on EPA’s proposed rule to list PFOA and PFOS – the two most common PFAS chemicals – as hazardous substances under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The comment deadline remains Nov. 7 after EPA recently denied multiple requests for a deadline extension.