As of press time, Congress was scrambling to complete negotiations on its final Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) appropriations package and reach agreement on more federal COVID-19 relief.

NACWA and the Montana League of Cities and Towns (League) filed a brief last week asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana to stay its recent order compelling the State of Montana to adopt a new compliance timeline for its nutrient variance for municipal dischargers despite the appeals over that very timeline from the State of Montana, NACWA, the League, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) currently pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Spurred on by recent criticisms of the national biosolids program and concerns that EPA may need to invest more in its biosolids efforts, EPA virtually convened the first National Biosolids Stakeholder Meeting since 2010 on December 8, 9 and 10.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on December 9 that it had finalized targeted modifications to the 2016 Massachusetts and New Hampshire municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) general permits.

NACWA’s Pretreatment & Pollution Prevention Committee met on December 8 to discuss implementation of the Dental Amalgam Rule and discuss PFAS issues.