6
Winter Conference
practices that tackle a variety of water quality issues including tem-
perature, nutrients and pathogens. They are also working collabora-
tively with other point sources to achieve beneficial pollutant reduc-
tions watershed-wide. Examples of these collaborations are occur-
ring across the country and are achieving their desired water quality
goals at a much reduced costs for ratepayers. At the same time, many
in the agricultural community understand that through collabora-
tion with the municipal community, they can tap into technical and
financial capabilities that they may not have on their own to help
them improve conservation performance of their operations.
NACWA’s Winter Conference will spotlight these collaborations, and
invite participants from both the municipal wastewater sector and
private landowners to discuss and share their experiences about how
these collaborations have worked and how they can serve as models
for other communities. Specific panel discussions examine:
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Wisconsin’s Adaptive Management approach to incentivize col-
laboration between municipal point sources and agricultural
producers;
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Partnerships that are saving ratepayers billions, such as New
York City’s source water protection program;
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New projects just getting underway, including projects re-
cently selected for USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership
Program; and,
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Successful state water quality trading programs that are being
modeled elsewhere.
Clean water utilities that are looking for new models for achieving
water quality and watershed restoration for their ratepayers are en-
couraged to come to Charleston and learn about these exciting devel-
Mid-Term Elections
not be entirely clear until well into this next session of Congress. We
do, however, know – more or less – who will be in key leadership po-
sitions. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) won re-election and was
elected incoming Majority Leader in the Senate, and Representative
John Boehner (R-OH) will remain Speaker of the House with
Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) remaining as House Majority
Leader. Democrats re-elected Harry Reid (D-NV) as incoming Senate
Minority Leader, though also elevated Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-
MA), a champion of progressive causes, to a newly-created leadership
post. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is running unopposed to
remain House Minority Leader and is expected to receive support
from her caucus.
Environment-Focused Committees See Leadership Changes
There will also be changes in key committee leadership slots that
impact environment-related issues in both the House and the
Senate. In the House, Democrats lost three key members who held
important leadership positions over environmental-related commit-
tees. Retiring Congressman JimMoran, Ranking Member of the
House Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing the Environmental
Protection Agency’s budget will be replaced by Representative Betty
McCollum (D-MN). Congressmen Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Clean
Water Caucus Co-Chair Tim Bishop (D-NY), Ranking Members
of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and the
Water Resources & Environment Subcommittee, respectively, lost
their re-election bids. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) will
likely become the top Democrat on the Committee, though it is un-
clear who will emerge as Bishop’s replacement. There are several
members who could receive the post, including Representative Grace
Napolitano (D-CA) and Representative Donna Edwards (D-MD).
In the Senate, Senator Lisa Murkowski (I-AK) will likely assume the
role of Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior & EPA,
while Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and John Boozman (R-AR) will
likely assume the gavels for the Senate Environment & Public Works
Committee and Water & Wildlife Subcommittee, respectively, while
Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) will likely
assume the role of Ranking Members of those committees.
Impact on Water Issues Unclear
How these leadership changes impact water-related issues is un-
clear at this point. Many Republicans have made EPA’s Waters of
the U.S. rule and the Clean Power Plant rule top priorities for push-
back and have proposed policy riders on appropriations bills to strip
EPA of any ability to move forward with them. Though this current
Congress completed work on a major water infrastructure package,
The Water Resources Reform&Development Act
, and included a new
water infrastructure investment program, the Water Infrastructure
Finance & Innovation Act (WIFIA), neither the House nor Senate
FY15 spending proposal included WIFIA implementation money.
The upcoming Congress will also deal with a large transportation re-
authorization package which expires in May and will require a major
infusion of new revenues to meet investment needs.
