NACWA Board Advances Vital Advocacy Initiatives
NACWA’s Board of Directors approved a number of critical advocacy initiatives last week as part of the Association’s Utility Leadership Conference, advancing advocacy priorities and positioning NACWA to fully engage in important clean water policy discussions over the coming months. The Board actions included approval of expenditures from the Targeted Action Fund (TAF) to support legislative, legal, and regulatory advocacy, as well as approval for the Association to participate in coalition efforts with important stakeholders.
The new TAF projects include advocacy support for the Association’s legislative and regulatory agenda. In particular, these funds will support legislative work on integrated planning, infrastructure funding and financing, preserving tax-exempt municipal bonds, and engagement on conservation issues as part of the upcoming federal Farm Bill. The funds will also help increase NACWA’s engagement with the Trump Administration and Congress around a potential large-scale infrastructure package – ensuring that water infrastructure plays a prominent role – as well as engagement with EPA around regulatory improvement. The Board also approved TAF resources to support NACWA’s involvement in new litigation matters involving clean water jurisdictional and water reuse/recycling issues.
Additionally, the Board approved NACWA’s participation in collaborative efforts involving nonflushable wipes and engagement with river advocacy organizations (see related stories).
The TAF is the key funding source for NACWA’s national advocacy projects and is funded through Association member dues. NACWA will keep the membership updated on the status of these new TAF projects as they progress.