As the presidential election season swings into high gear, NACWA sent letters last week to the Trump campaign and the Biden campaign outlining key priorities the public clean water sector would like to see discussed on the campaign trail.

The U.S. House of Representatives is set this week to pass another round of COVID-19 relief legislation. The latest iteration is an updated and “pared-down” version of the HEROES Act that passed the House in May.

NACWA joined other municipal and state groups on September 24 for a meeting hosted by EPA’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations to hear from Office of Water staff on the Agency’s new affordability proposal and to engage in a dialogue with EPA’s Municipal Ombudsman.

Convening for the third time this year, NACWA’s Water Quality Committee meet virtually via Zoom on September 23.

Much has been, will be, and should be said about the life and passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg had a groundbreaking legal career, followed by thirteen years of service on the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and an impressive twenty-seven more as an Associate Justice on the Nation’s highest court - the second woman ever to hold that title. During all of which she was, in the words of Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., “a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”

On September 15, EPA took a major step toward overhauling its financial capability assessment methodology, releasing its Draft 2020 Financial Capability Assessment. A notice seeking public comment was published in the Federal Register on September 18 and feedback on the proposal is due October 19.

EPA last week released a copy of its final action establishing procedures and requirements for how the Agency will manage the issuance of guidance documents, as well as a public petition process for the withdrawal or modification of existing guidance or reinstatement of rescinded guidance.

The prospects for Congress passing another comprehensive COVID-19 package before the end of the year were already fading in recent weeks, as NACWA reported earlier this month. The passing on September 18th of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the highly partisan debate surrounding a new Supreme Court nomination is further tempering expectations for other significant bipartisan legislation, including COVID-19 relief, being passed by Congress this year.

With the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30th fast approaching, Congress is moving to pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR) in the coming days. The CR will avoid a government shutdown and fund all federal agencies, including EPA, at current spending levels until December 11th

In early August, EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) began evaluating how EPA is addressing harmful algal blooms (HABs) and the Agency’s operational efficiency in using federal funds to achieve greater public health and environmental protections. OIG recently reached out to NACWA to help inform this review.

As with most conferences this year, the Water and Finance Conference went virtual over two weeks from September 8 to September 17. NACWA, a partner of the event, participated in two sessions during the conference — a session on evolving federal and state regulations against the backdrop of funding opportunities and a session on long-term sustainability in a time of uncertainty.

NACWA hosted the latest Hot Topics in Clean Water webinar last Wednesday, September 16 with a focus the ongoing battle over “flushable” wipes.

For three consecutive years, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) has hosted a cleanup event at the Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline Regional Park in Oakland, California. The shoreline park is a restored wetland and a public recreation space set amidst a densely populated urban area. Trash from littering and from the tides builds up along the shoreline, adversely impacting the park’s beauty and its function as habitat for local wildlife.