The U.S. Treasury released initial guidance for the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSLFRF) on May 10. The CSLFRF is the $350 Billion pot of funding provided in the COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act signed into law in March 2021 that includes water and sewer infrastructure as an eligible use.

Infrastructure discussions ramped up this week between the White House and Congress as President Biden and Democrat and Republican Congressional leaders met to discuss a potential bipartisan path forward on a comprehensive infrastructure package.

Following the announcement by U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan during Water Week about the formation of a new EPA Council on PFAS, NACWA is preparing a letter to the Council’s co-chairs – EPA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox and EPA Region 1’s Acting Administrator Deb Szaro – highlighting the Association’s priorities and recommendations for federal next steps on addressing PFAS.

NACWA’s Water Quality Committee met virtually last week and discussed a variety of issues including wastewater based-epidemiology, PFAS, and activity in the environmental justice landscape.

EPA recently hosted a Listening Session with a broad array of stakeholders from the water sector, including NACWA. Approximately twenty groups were represented, including environmental NGOs as well as community and environmental justice (EJ)/community advocate organizations to discuss water affordability issues. Radhika Fox, EPA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of Water, hosted the session with other senior EPA staff present as well.

The Senate took an important first step last week towards passing comprehensive infrastructure legislation with the overwhelming passage of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 (DWWIA), S. 914.

Administrator Michael Regan announced last week during Water Week the formation of a new EPA Council on PFAS (ECP) that will build upon the momentum already happening under the Agency’s PFAS Action Plan. The ECP will be co-chaired by EPA’s Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Radhika Fox and EPA Region 1’s Acting Administrator Deb Szaro.