» Clean Water Current Archive

March 13, 2009

NACWA Efforts Support Wastewater Treatment Process Exclusion from EPA Proposal

EPA released a proposed rule this week to establish a massive new reporting regime for greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sectors, which appears to exclude the wastewater treatment process, according to NACWA’s initial review of the more than 800 pages of preamble and 500 pages of regulatory language. NACWA had met with EPA on this proposal and has been actively engaged in the agency’s efforts to develop the rule because clean water agencies had been included in the inventory of emitters potentially subject to reporting.  Using the Targeted Action Fund (TAF), and more recently the Critical Issues Action Initiative (CIAI), NACWA was successful in providing valuable data that resulted in refinements to the emissions inventory and ensured that any regulations based on the estimates reflect the true contribution of greenhouse gases from the municipal wastewater sector.

NACWA believes wastewater treatment would not be covered because the estimated emissions from the treatment processes are generally not expected to exceed the reporting threshold of 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents annually at any plant.  However, NACWA is working to clarify how the reporting rule may apply to electricity generating units, boilers, and sewage sludge incinerators that clean water agencies operate.  The rule appears to require utilities to estimate and report emissions from “stationary fuel combustion sources” that produce electricity or heat, or that reduce waste volume by burning, among other things, fossil fuels, biogas, and sewage sludge.  The key to whether these specific practices may be subject to reporting is the threshold of 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents annually.  The rule provides a series of equations and assumptions that must be used to determine whether emissions need to be reported.  NACWA continues to evaluate the applicability of the rule to determine its scope and impact on the clean water community and will be working with its Air Quality and Climate Change Committee and Biosolids Management Committee to provide members with more information.  EPA is providing a 60-day comment period from the time of the proposal’s upcoming publication in the Federal Register, as well as a public hearing in Washington April 5-6 and one in Sacramento on April 16.

NACWA Supports SRF Bill Approved by House with $13.8 Billion over Five Years

NACWA worked hard to build support for legislation approved by the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday in a 317-101 vote that would reauthorize the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) at $13.8 billion over five years.  The Water Quality Investment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1262), introduced by Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, was amended to increase funding to $2.5 billion over five years in additional grants to address combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs).  The version approved by the T&I Committee provided $1.8 billion for sewer overflow grants.  The final House bill also directs EPA to convene a task force to develop recommendations on the proper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals and a public education plan to advance those ideas.  Also included in the bill is $250 million for alternative water source projects and $750 million over five years to remediate contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes.  Finally, the legislation incorporates the previous Congress’s sewer-right-to-know legislation, as negotiated by NACWA and American Rivers, setting up a monitoring, reporting and notification program for sewer overflows.  The House bill contains language similar to what the Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee approved at the end of last term, including improvements recommended by NACWA.  NACWA sent a letter  to House members this week urging them to support the package as it went to the floor for a vote.  The bill now moves to the Senate where its supporters hope to take it up by this summer.  NACWA has learned that the Senate version will only address SRF reauthorization and not include the other provisions found in the House bill.

The House vote came two days after Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the fiscal year 2009 omnibus bill (H. 1105; P.L. 111-8), providing funding for most federal agencies, including $7.6 billion for EPA, through the end of September.  Included in the package is $689 million for the CWSRF and $829 million for the drinking water SRF, the same levels as was provided in FY 2008.  President Obama’s FY 2010 budget proposal, however, significantly boosts funding for EPA and, specifically, the SRF programs, as reported in the March 6 Clean Water Current.

Green Infrastructure Course Registration Deadline Approaching

The March 23 registration deadline for NACWA’s upcoming municipal green infrastructure course is quickly approaching.  The course, How Green Is My Infrastructure: A Regional Approach to Municipal Planning & Investment, was developed jointly by NACWA and The Conservation Fund and will be held April 14-16 at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, W.V.   This unique course is designed specifically for public utility managers and officials interested in implementing green infrastructure technologies.  The curriculum emphasizes how utilities can initiate, fund, construct, and maintain green infrastructure projects to address their water supply and water quality needs.  Clean water professionals will learn how to take advantage of the many opportunities for using green infrastructure and participate in classroom activities led by experts in the field.

The course employs a “team approach” to learning.  Accordingly, NACWA members are encouraged to send not only utility representatives but also officials from other municipal agencies, including those from the local planning commission, public works department, city council, or mayor’s office.  Limited scholarship funds are available to assist these community partners in attending.  The goal of the course is to educate members from all sectors of municipal government about the benefits of green infrastructure and ensure that there are multiple “champions” of green infrastructure who can help push for its implementation in their  local communities.  Additional information about the course including how to register can be found on the Conferences and Professional Development page of the NACWA website from The Conservation Fund.  Don’t miss this valuable learning opportunity – hurry and register today!

Water & Wastewater Leadership Center Alumni Program Applications Now Available!

Information and program applications are now available for this year’s Leadership Center Alumni Program, to be held Sept. 20-23 at the Kenan-Flagler Business School of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  All graduates of the 2008 Leadership Center, and any graduates of the program prior to 2008 that have not yet participated, are encouraged to attend.  This advanced executive education session will provide an opportunity for alumni to reconnect with classmates and faculty during a two-and-a-half day, in-depth leadership development program that expands on the core elements taught in the initial residential program.