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Member Pipeline
Clean Water Current - October 20, 2008 Special Edition
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October 20, 2008 FY 2009 Critical Issues Action Initiative . . . A Progress ReportThe recent financial uncertainty and the upcoming elections have clearly dominated the news and are at the forefront of everyone’s minds, including the municipal utility sector. NACWA believes, however, that the best response to new economic challenges and the shifting political landscape is to be ready to aggressively and proactively pursue important new policies that will benefit its member agencies – and at the same time be fully prepared to counter programs that seek to impose inadvisable or unnecessary burdens and costs.NACWA’s strong call for a second economic stimulus package is evidence of this. And with Federal Reserve Chair, Ben Bernanke, joining NACWA today in calling for a new stimulus package we are one step closer to ensuring that the collective voice of clean water agencies is heard – and new funding for infrastructure will be made available to create jobs and stimulate the economy. The Association’s Critical Issues Action Initiative provides another example of a strategy to ensure that the Association and its individual members have the tools needed to make the case for the nation’s clean water communities in the upcoming 111th Congress and the incoming Administration. We fully anticipate that public policy in the areas of nutrients, climate change, pharmaceuticals, watershed management, infrastructure sustainability and chemical security will continue to move aggressively forward in the coming months – undoubtedly placing increasing pressures on clean water utilities across the country. Simply put, the potential financial and operational impact on NACWA member agencies is great – and the significant benefits from the targeted advocacy agenda in the Critical Issues Action Initiative cannot be understated. We have been gratified by the support of our members – and are pleased to report our progress to date. Initial Member Response Shows Strong Support for Critical Issues Action InitiativeThe support of NACWA member agencies for the Critical Issues Action Initiative has been truly gratifying. Over 48% of public agency dues received to date have included additional funds to support this vital initiative. We are pleased that our members share our sense of urgency and can see the tangible benefits of this investment – even in uncertain financial times. Thanks to our members who have shown their early support for this initiative – and thanks, in advance, to those of you who are preparing to join your colleagues in doing so.Critical Issues Action Initiatives Make Key ProgressA number of Critical Issues Action initiatives have already made significant progress. The Nutrient Legal Analysis and Control Evaluation initiative is well underway. The goal of this project is twofold: 1) to outline a set of strong technical and legal arguments against the modification of the definition of secondary treatment to address nutrient discharges at clean water agencies; and 2) to develop a set of action-oriented recommendations detailing why the current nutrient problem will not be solved until nonpoint sources of nutrients can be fully controlled, and how those controls should be developed.NACWA is currently reviewing responses received as a result of its September 18 Request for Proposals (RFP) for this project. The Association anticipates selecting a contractor and beginning work on this critical project by mid-November. The project is expected to be completed 12 weeks after signing the contract documents. Similarly, work is underway on the Climate Change Primer: Tapping the Carbon Market, which is designed to help municipal clean water utilities better understand how emerging climate change legislation and regulation will affect their operations. Work has already begun on this project and an initial draft for review is expected by the end of October. NACWA has a team of staff and members from the Legal Affairs and Air Quality & Climate Change committees prepared to review the draft, and a final product is slated for release in January. Another key project that is moving forward at a quick pace is the Peer Review of Pharmaceuticals in the Water Environment. NACWA has aggressively pursued collaboration with other key water sector organizations and has received a commitment from several to help fund the convening of a peer review panel to develop a fact-based assessment regarding pharmaceuticals in the water environment. An action-oriented report, outlining a series of recommendations to guide the efforts of the water sector, would result from this process. NACWA will be meeting with key waters sector groups later this month to finalize a schedule for this important joint project. NACWA testified on the issue of emerging contaminants and pharmaceuticals in the water environment last month before the House Subcommittee on Water Resources & Environment, exemplifying the focus this issue is poised to receive in the upcoming 111th Congress. Additionally, design work is currently underway on a sustainable infrastructure funding website that will be dedicated to advocacy on behalf of key funding initiatives poised to be top priorities for the 111th Congress and incoming Administration. A second economic stimulus package, a clean water trust fund, a national infrastructure bank, and a federal capital budget are among the issues to be explored on this new site. A built-out version of the website will be reviewed by NACWA’s Clean Water Funding Task Force in November and the site will go “live” shortly thereafter. The website will be populated with useful tools for NACWA’s members and will serve as a communications hub for NACWA utility representatives on these vital issues. Other initiatives that will receive significant attention through the Critical Issues Action Initiative include an analysis of and input into U.S. Environment Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory; outreach on a viable watershed strategy; an advocacy paper on chlorine gas and other chemicals versus “inherently safer technologies;” and, support for the Product Stewardship Institute’s multi-stakeholder dialogue on pharmaceuticals. NACWA thanks its members for their unrivaled support. The political landscape is poised to shift in a manner that offers unique opportunities, but also enormous challenges. Your support of the Association, through renewal of your membership and, when possible, support for the Critical Issues Action Initiative will help guarantee that the Nation’s clean water agencies are prepared to both seize key opportunities and overcome any challenges. |
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