Clean Water Current

Water Week 2018 and its highlight event, the National Water Policy Fly-in (NWPF), are only five weeks away – now is the time to make your plans to attend!

NACWA has sent letters to Congressional Appropriators reiterating several important funding asks, as the March 23 deadline approaches for Congress to pass a Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 appropriations measure based on a framework prescribed by the recently passed, bipartisan budget deal. Both letters, one to the full committee and one to the subcommittees, reflect the requests that NACWA and the water sector have been advocating throughout the past year.

The Senate began formal consideration of the White House infrastructure proposal last week, with a hearing in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

NACWA joined the Illinois Association of Wastewater Agencies (IAWA) for its Spring Mini-Conference in Springfield, IL on February 28, to provide an update on the latest developments, from the federal level, on infrastructure funding, budget development, integrated planning and affordability, and a range of other policy issues that will impact the water sector.

Two NACWA public utility members were featured on the most recent installment of EPA’s Community Service webinar series on March 1.

As the Trump Administration advances its infrastructure priorities, water issues have emerged as an important focal point among a crowded field of legislative priorities.

NACWA’s Security & Emergency Preparedness Committee will have a web meeting on Monday, March 19, 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET, featuring a presentation by Bob Winters, a Protective Security Advisor (PSA) for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for review of a US Circuit Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit decision on February 20, allowing the lower court ruling to stand that the Court of Appeals lacked jurisdiction to consider a challenge to an EPA decision related to blending and bypasses.

NACWA delivered a letter to Congress last week in support of S. 2346, a bill to establish an innovative water infrastructure workforce development program.

The Trump Administration’s infrastructure proposal, affordability and the fragmentation of the water sector were top discussion items as EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB) convened in Washington, DC on February 20 - 21 for its winter meeting.

NACWA submitted comments Feb. 20 on Oregon’s recent draft MS4 Phase II permit. The Association is concerned that the draft permit would set a dangerous precedent that will have national implications if finalized “as-is.”

NACWA participated in meeting of the Infrastructure Working Group last week -- a collaborative effort led by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

(February 27, 2018) - The U.S. Supreme Court declined last week to review U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision that addressed the oversight process of EPA over state-issued NPDES permits and APA final agency action.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in Catskill Mountains Chapter of Trout Unlimited Inc. v. EPA on Feb. 26, in effect upholding EPA’s Water Transfers Rule and providing a key legal victory for the water sector.

NACWA is pleased to see the recent introduction a bill to reinstate tax-exempt advance refunding bonds (H.R 5003).

NACWA hosted a conference call on February 20 with the Association’s State & Regional Exchange network, where representatives from various state and regional clean water organizations discussed upcoming national advocacy issues.

With policymakers in Washington, DC now firmly focused on infrastructure investment, it’s more critical than ever that YOU make plans to attend the National Water Policy Fly-In (April 17 – 18), the anchor event of Water Week 2018.

This question is next on the docket for NACWA's Hot Topics in Clean Water Law webinar series. The hot topic is both complex and high-stakes, as recent litigation shows.

NACWA staff and utility members of the Association — including the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Boston Water & Sewer Commission, Springfield Water & Sewer, Narragansett Bay Commission, and The Metropolitan District, Hartford — met with Alexandra Dunn, Regional Administrator, EPA Region 1, and several senior EPA staff members on February 15.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice today requesting comments on the Agency's previous statements regarding whether point source discharges through groundwater that has a direct hydrologic connection to jurisdictional surface water may be subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act (CWA).