»
NACWA continued its strong legal defense of land
application biosolids management, supporting
efforts by Association members in Southern
California to solidify and bolster a very positive
court decision in favor of land application practices
in
City of Los Angeles v. County of Kern
.
»
NACWA protected utility use of biogas as a
renewable fuel by participating in the enforceable
consent agreement negotiations for collecting
environmental data on siloxanes, which are harmful
to boilers, engines, and other equipment when
biogas is used as a renewable fuel, and which
significantly increase the cost of using biogas.
»
NACWA represented Member Agency interests
in seeking a permanent exemption of biogenic
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Clean Air
Act regulation as part of the Biogenic Greenhouse
Gas Coalition. A permanent exemption would
reduce costs and regulatory burden for utilities
that use combustion of biosolids and biogas to
generate energy. The Coalition will petition EPA
for a rulemaking, and prepare an accompanying
technical report. This effort builds on NACWA’s
previous participation in the
Center for Biological
Diversity v. EPA
litigation involving the temporary
biogenic emissions deferral, and is even more
important given the court’s vacating of the deferral
in that case.
»
NACWA
continued to
work with the Water
Environment Federation (WEF), the American
Public Works Association (APWA), and state
organizations to draw attention to the problems
created by flushable wipes and other non-
dispersible products in the sewer system, generating
significant media attention to the issue. The
Association and the other organizations also began
working with the Association of the Nonwoven
Fabrics Industry (INDA), to improve flushability
guidelines, product labeling, and consumer
education.
»
NACWA worked with other water sector
associations to engage in the process established
by an executive order to improve the cybersecurity
of the nation’s critical infrastructure, emphasizing
the need for voluntary standards for water utilities
rather than new regulations.
»
NACWA worked with Representative Lois Capps’
(D-CA) to reintroduce,
The Water Infrastructure
Resiliency and Sustainability Act (H.R. 765)
, which
supports the adoption of resiliency practices by
clean water utilities to ensure their facilities can
withstand extreme weather events brought on by the
changing climate.
»
NACWA was an outspoken supporter of the
passage of the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act
of 2013, legislation that provided $500 million to
the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF)
to help wastewater utilities in New York and New
Jersey undertake measures to build resiliency against
future natural disasters.
»
NACWA collaborated with the White House
Council on Environmental Quality and other
interested groups to organize an Executive
Conference on Green Infrastructure to explore the
use of green infrastructure to address urban wet
weather concerns.
»
NACWA promoted responsible and appropriate
use of green infrastructure, including conversations
about updating the 2007
Statement of Intent
with EPA
and the other green infrastructure partners.
7
PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY NACWA’S TARGETED ACTION FUND
