NACWA expressed deep concern to Congress and the press this week about potential massive spending cuts to State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs for clean water and drinking water. The cuts were proposed in the U.S. House’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which was released on July 12 and marked up by the House Appropriations Committee July 19.

NACWA helped organize and lead a virtual press conference on behalf of the Water Coalition Against PFAS on July 18, highlighting the unique challenges that water sector utilities face in addressing PFAS and the potential that clean water utilities and their customers could be left paying for the massive costs of PFAS cleanups unless Congress and EPA act to shield them.

EPA is offering a free webinar on July 31 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET outlining the various Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) offered by the Agency.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 18, 2023) – Public water sector utilities joined a national news conference today hosted by the Water Coalition Against PFAS to dispel the leading falsehoods associated with the clean-up of forever chemicals, and to issue a new myth-busting report setting the record straight that the annual cost for PFAS remediation will be considerably higher than Congress and EPA anticipate.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) expressed deep concern today about the potential for Congress to enact massive spending cuts to State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs for clean water and drinking water – programs previously designated for expansion in FY24 to $3 billion apiece through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

NACWA congratulates Oluwole “OJ” McFoy, General Manager of the Buffalo Sewer Authority in New York, as he takes the reins of the Association as NACWA’s newly elected President for 2023-2024.

NACWA submitted comments this week to the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee on draft PFAS legislation, highlighting the critical need for inclusion of a Congressional legislative exemption for public clean water utilities from CERCLA liability for PFAS.

NACWA submitted comments June 28 to the 11 expert members of EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) Biosolids Panel to consider as they develop their final report reviewing the draft Framework for Addressing Risks of Chemicals in Biosolids and the parallel Biosolids Screening Tool (BST).

As federal agencies including U.S. EPA continue working to implement the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act provisions that were enacted as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021, waiver proposals and guidance have continued to roll out.

Last evening, NACWA’s Hall of Fame inductees and the winners of the 2023 NACWA Peak Performance Awards and the NACWA Excellence in Management Awards were honored at a special ceremony as part of NACWA’s 2023 Utility Leadership Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) is pleased to provide you with the June 2023 Regulatory Update

The U.S. EPA’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) Biosolids Panel will be completing its much-anticipated review of the Agency’s proposed Standardized Framework for Sewage Sludge Chemical Risk Assessment (“Framework”) and Biosolids Screening Tool in the coming weeks. The draft Framework reflects the process EPA plans to use to initially screen pollutants that are found in biosolids and to determine whether a formal risk assessment for a given pollutant is warranted.

On June 21, EPA released the final Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) rule, which sets the renewable fuel target volumes through 2025. NACWA was pleased that the final rule includes a new provision for co-digested food waste that will help clean water utilities benefit from the RFS program.

NACWA met with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on June 27 to provide input for a report on water sector cybersecurity. GAO initiated the report at the request of the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee. The Co-Chairs of NACWA’s Security and Emergency Preparedness Committee – Talyon Sortor and Carol Adams – participated in the meeting.