» Clean Water Current Archive

September 2, 2011

EPA Reaches Out to NACWA on Regulatory Prioritization, Integrated Permitting Effort

NACWA met this week with high-level EPA officials from a number of key offices to discuss the Association’s Money Matters™ campaign – and to develop a path forward toward a viable approach to integrated wet weather permitting and Clean Water Act (CWA) regulatory prioritization more broadly.  The meeting was organized by EPA in a swift response to NACWA’s August 9 letter to the Agency’s Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water, Nancy Stoner, and the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement & Compliance Assurance (OECA), Cynthia Giles, seeking a meeting to discuss the Association’s recommended approach to integrated permitting and regulatory prioritization as set out in its Money Matters™ draft legislation . Both Giles and Stoner participated in the meeting as did nearly a dozen other EPA staff from OECA, the Office of Water, the Office of Policy, the Deputy Administrator’s Office, and the Office of Congressional & Intergovernmental Relations, demonstrating the seriousness with which EPA, as a whole, is taking this issue.

Both Stoner and Giles committed to work together closely on this issue and to embark on next steps expeditiously.  These next steps included NACWA identifying a subset of public agency members, willing to work with EPA directly to walk through what such an integrated permit would look like and how prioritization for CWA compliance could be part of such an approach.  There was discussion of kicking off such discussions with a joint announcement or press event, and the need for an expedited EPA document, perhaps a memo to all Regions and delegated States, describing how such an integrated permitting process could work.  Both Stoner and Giles felt that because this was based on a permitting process it would not need a formal rulemaking or guidance process – nor would it need to be slowed down by a Federal Advisory Committee process.  Giles was clear that OECA was bought into such an approach, but that such permits would have to be crafted clearly and subject to an enforcement structure.

The meeting made it clear that the municipal community’s concerns are being taken seriously by EPA and the Administration, and that NACWA’s legislative effort is providing the leverage driving much of this discussion.  NACWA in the process of identifying and contacting a dozen or so communities who would be willing to provide input to EPA on an integrated permitting approach.  As a parallel effort, the Association also plans to continue to advance its legislative agenda.  NACWA will be holding follow-up meetings with EPA and key stakeholder groups in the coming weeks and will keep members informed as developments occur.

NACWA Urges Obama to Include Clean Water Infrastructure Investment in Jobs Package

NACWA has begun its Fall offensive (see the August 12, 2011 Clean Water Current) to ensure that the importance of investing in clean water infrastructure is made clear as the Administration and Congress begin their budgetary and deficit reduction negotiations.  The Association sent a letter and accompanying White Paper today to President Obama and key White House officials laying out, in detail, how clean water investment can spur the economy, create jobs, and improve the environment and public health.  The letter and White Paper are meant to ensure that – as President Obama prepares his upcoming speech and refines his position on a jobs creation package, and as the congressional Super-Committee begins its budgetary discussions – existing funding levels for the clean water program are protected and that the viability and benefits of additional funding are underscored.

As the letter states:

As your Administration embarks on an historic effort to put the Nation’s economy on a solid footing and seeks to identify that fine line between measures that will put people back to work now while cutting the Nation’s long-term deficit challenge, I hope you build on the initial commitment you made by signing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law — to fund our nation’s critical infrastructure, including clean water infrastructure.   The attached White Paper, Investing More Now in America’s Clean Water Infrastructure:  Good for Jobs, the Economy, and the Environment, outlines the employment, economic and environmental benefits of clean water infrastructure investment.

NACWA fully understands the uphill battle that such an effort faces when all existing and any new spending is under the federal microscope.  At the same time, studies have demonstrated that the lion’s share of actual and proposed budgetary cuts are coming disproportionately out of construction-based federal programs, such as the State Revolving Funds (SRFs) – precisely the programs that have the proven track record of creating jobs.  As such, it is critical that NACWA make the case, as aggressively as possible, that this is the wrong trend at the wrong time.  Furthermore, to the extent there is a desire to reduce general revenue spending on the backs of programs like the SRF it is critical that the Administration and Congress understand that there are deficit-neutral mechanisms to provide additional funding to the SRFs, such as through a dedicated clean water trust fund.

NACWA will be sharing this White Paper broadly with members of Congress, the Administration, EPA, key stakeholders and the media. The membership will be kept apprised of developments as they occur through future NACWA publications.

NACWA Continues to Bring Clean Water Message to State/Regional Groups

NACWA staff provided an update on the latest nutrient-related issues and the broad range of legislative and regulatory efforts that the Association is currently focused on during the Joint Annual Conference of the Kansas Water Environment Association and the Kansas Section of the American Water Works Association in Topeka this week.  The conference, attended by more than 700 water professionals from across Kansas, featured presentations on a wide array of technical and policy issues.  Nutrient issues were a major focus during the conference and NACWA provided the latest from the national level, including recent developments in the Florida nutrient case, the current debate over numeric nutrient criteria, and reactions to EPA’s March 16 framework memorandum on addressing nutrients.  Kansas’ program for addressing nutrients has been highlighted as a potential model for making progress, but the lack of numeric criteria in the state is raising questions whether such an approach will ultimately satisfy EPA.

In addition to discussing nutrients within the context of the Clean Water Act (CWA), NACWA also discussed its  advocacy efforts to establish more effective policies to control nutrient run-off from agricultural operations within the context of the Farm Bill, which Congress is scheduled to reauthorize next year.  Other major legislative and regulatory efforts on which NACWA is focused – including  its Money Matters™ campaign and related efforts to establish a regulatory prioritization approach to implementing CWA requirements – were also featured.  Rules on sewage sludge incineration, wet weather-related rules on sanitary sewer overflows and stormwater, and pretreatment standards for dental offices received attention, as well.  The discussion ended with an update on NACWA's efforts to increase the amount of federal investment targeted to water and wastewater infrastructure.

NACWA will be continuing its efforts to expand its understanding of issues directly impacting its Member Agencies and build support for its advocacy agenda through regional and state meetings with upcoming visits to Region 7 and Pennsylvania already scheduled, and other similar meetings being planned.

August-September Clean Water Advocate Showcases Peak Performance Award Winners

This year NACWA was proud to recognize 441 member agency facilities with Peak Performance Awards.  Each year, the Peak Performance Awards Program recognizes member agency facilities for excellence in wastewater treatment as measured by their compliance with their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements.  Showcased in a special insert in the upcoming August-September Clean Water Advocate, the Association recognized 134 member agency facilities for their achievement of Platinum status.  The Association honored 27 facilities that earned Platinum awards for the first time – and another 107 facilities that achieved the remarkable accomplishment of maintaining perfect compliance for a time period ranging from six to 24 years.  Gold awards recognized 196 facilities and another 111 facilities received Silver awards.  This complete listing of outstanding award winning facilities is a testament to their hard work and commitment to the environment and their communities.  Congratulations to all award winning facilities!

Clean Water America Alliance to Hold Urban Water Sustainability Conference in Milwaukee

Cross-department, cross-agency, business and community leadership teams and individuals are invited to Milwaukee for the 2011 Urban Water Sustainability Leadership Conference, October 3-5 at the Pfister Hotel.  Five key cities — Austin, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Louisville, and Seattle — will be spotlighted for their innovative and viable approaches to implementing green infrastructure.  These case studies are particularly relevant as EPA prepares its stormwater rule proposal, and as the trend toward the utility as a resource recovery agent gathers momentum.   “Water leaders are uniting, like never before, to share timely success stories and strategies for connecting the dots, drops, and watts to sustain communities and ecosystems,” explains Clean Water America Alliance President Ben Grumbles.  Visit the Alliance’s website to learn more about the upcoming conference and to register.

NACWA’s offices will be closed on Monday, September 5 for the Labor Day holiday.

The Association wishes all of its members a safe and happy Labor Day weekend.