» Clean Water Current Archive

April 13, 2012

NACWA Applauds Key EPA-Philadelphia Partnership Agreement

NACWA attended a signing ceremony April 10 during which EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and Philadelphia city officials signed a partnership agreement  memorializing the City’s Green City, Clean Waters program to reduce sewer overflows and stormwater runoff. Philadelphia’s innovative program provides an example of how municipalities can use EPA’s new integrated planning approach to address wet weather issues.  In the agreement, signed by EPA, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, and NACWA member the Philadelphia Water Department, EPA commits to support Philadelphia as it adopts green infrastructure to improve water quality and the sustainability of its neighborhoods.  EPA also agreed to provide technical assistance to the City as it implements green infrastructure approaches and to remove regulatory barriers to implementation. 

The agreement states that it “may also serve as a model for other municipalities seeking more sustainable solutions for urban wet weather pollution control and advances EPA’s efforts to support Integrated Planning approaches to meet wet weather control obligations under the Clean Water Act.” In remarks at the signing ceremony, Administrator Jackson emphasized her hope that the partnership agreement could help other communities address wet weather concerns in similarly innovative ways.

NACWA issued a press release applauding both EPA and Philadelphia for creating a unique and historic federal-local partnership to address wet weather concerns. With EPA poised to issue its final draft integrated planning framework in the next few weeks, this agreement can help other communities pursue innovate wet weather solutions through an integrated planning approach.  Howard Neukrug, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Water Department and a member of the NACWA Board of Directors, will be discussing the agreement in greater detail during the Utility Executives Roundtable on April 23 at the NACWA National Environmental Policy Forum.

EPA Issues Formal Denial of SSI Rule Reconsideration, NACWA Pivots to Legal Challenge

After months of delay, EPA this week issued its formal written denial of NACWA’s request for administrative reconsideration of the Agency’s sewage sludge incinerator (SSI) rule, paving the way for the Association to ramp up its legal challenge to the rule.  The denial notice  outlines EPA’s reasons for rejecting NACWA’s request and focuses primarily on procedural as opposed to substantive issues.  EPA did not raise any particularly new or novel arguments in the denial.  The Agency also issued a denial letter on the same day to the Sierra Club, which had petitioned for reconsideration of the rule as well. 

EPA is expected to publish the formal denial notices in the Federal Register within the next few weeks.  Once that occurs, NACWA will move quickly to establish a briefing schedule in its legal challenge to the rule.  NACWA also is exploring ways to use EPA’s denial notice in the lawsuit, thus further bolstering the legal issues the Association will raise before the court in seeking to strike down the rule.  NACWA anticipates having a briefing schedule established by June 1, and will seek to file its opening brief in the case soon thereafter.

NACWA Brings Clean Water Advocacy Message to Utility Groups

NACWA continued to bring its advocacy message to key state and regional utility groups this week by participating in Texas Water 2012, which is sponsored jointly by the Texas Water Environment Association (WEAT) and the Texas Section American Water Works Association (TAWWA). NACWA gave a presentation on recent regulatory and legal developments on several key issues, including EPA's integrated planning effort, nutrients, water quality criteria, and greenhouse gas emissions.  Conference participants expressed their desire for regulations that are logical and that use utilities' limited resources wisely. 

Next week, NACWA will be making presentations on advocacy issues at the Wet Weather Partnership meeting in Nashville, at the California Water Environment Association's 2012 Annual Conference in Sacramento, and at the 62nd Annual Environmental Engineering Conference at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.

Pretreatment & Pollution Prevention Workshop Hotel Deadline Approaches

Have you registered your pretreatment staff for the only conference designed especially for them, the National Pretreatment & Pollution Prevention Workshop?  At the Workshop, Pretreatment & the Utility of the Future: Where We Are Going & Where We Have Been, May 9-11, in Pensacola, Fla., participants will  review decades of unparalleled pretreatment program accomplishments and the important role that pollution prevention programs will play as utilities become resource recovery agents.  Legal case studies related to pretreatment also will be presented and staff from EPA will update participants on the current status of effluent guidelines development and national pretreatment programs.  Be sure your utility’s pretreatment professionals don’t miss this informative program. Make your plans today by reserving a room at the Hilton Pensacola before April 17.