» Clean Water Current Archive

January 23, 2015

The Obama Administration Focuses on Infrastructure Finance, ‘Predevelopment’

The White House has given NACWA and its members much to discuss at its upcoming 2015 Winter Conference (see related story) with a renewed focus on water infrastructure financing. Specifically, the White House has called for the creation of a Water Infrastructure Finance & Resilience Center and issued a brief memorandum  that focused on the Center’s role in increasing federal support for ‘predevelopment’ activities for public infrastructure projects. ‘Predevelopment’ refers to the pre-construction stages of a project such as feasibility studies, financial planning, cost-benefit analyses, permitting, and environmental impact assessments.

These activities may comprise a small percentage of total project costs, but can have a profound impact on the ultimate project design, cost, and effectiveness of implementation. Increased investment in predevelopment can translate into prioritized projects that use innovative technologies and financing methods – including public-private partnerships. NACWA also believes that a focus on predevelopment can lead to increased technical assistance and financial guidance being offered by large, more sophisticated utilities to smaller ones. The predevelopment activity is also very much in line with both NACWA’s advocacy work on integrated planning/affordability, as well as its Water Resources Utility of the Future initiative.

President Obama also touted the need for ramped up infrastructure investment as a bipartisan issue in his State of the Union address this week, although with no mention of water infrastructure. This week’s The Water Voice blog focuses on the State of the Union address, the increasing focus on financing rather than funding, and what this means for the clean water community. NACWA will continue to work with the Administration and Congress to make the rhetoric of a bold, bipartisan infrastructure package a reality and to ensure the new Finance Center accounts for key public utility positions on financing.

Members Urged to Reach Out to 114th Congress’ Committee Leadership

House and Senate Congressional leaders have announced additional key committee leadership slots for the 114th Congress. NACWA has already begun meeting with their staffs to make them aware of national clean water priorities, but also encourages Association members to do the same.

In the Senate, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) takes over as Chair of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW) with Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) becoming Ranking Member. At the subcommittee level, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) will assume the Chair of the renamed Fisheries, Water & Wildlife Subcommittee. A Democratic Ranking Member of the Subcommittee has yet to be named. On the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) becomes Chair of the full Committee with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) becoming Chair of the Interior & EPA Subcommittee; Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) replaces Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) as the top Democrat for the Subcommittee. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is Ranking Member for the full Committee.

On the House side, key leadership from the 113th Congress returns with Representative Bill Shuster (R-PA) retaining the Chair of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and Representative Bob Gibbs (R-OH) continuing as Chair of the Water Resources & Environment Subcommittee. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) is now Ranking Member on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, and it was announced this week that Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA) will serve as Ranking Member for the Water Resources & Environment Subcommittee.

NACWA has strong relationships with these members and their staffs but encourages its Member Agencies in these key leaders’ districts and states to reach out regularly – at home or in Washington – to discuss top clean water concerns with them. The Association is always prepared to help – including arranging and attending member visits to Capitol Hill. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information or assistance.

State/Regional Organizations Discuss Leveraging Local Advocacy through NACWA

NACWA hosted a conference call this week with representatives of more than a dozen state and regional clean water organizations to share national and state/regional advocacy developments. Association staff briefed attendees on national advocacy priorities, including progress on its Dental Amalgam survey and comment effort, the Toilets are Not Trash Cans! campaign, and recent administration initiatives on infrastructure financing. The New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA) President Steve Fangmann detailed the ways NYWEA has increased its visibility on local advocacy, including controversial issues involving State Revolving Fund (SRF) investments and the New York State Sewage Pollution Right to Know law – in particular by reaching across traditional lines and “speaking with one voice” with other organizations. State and regional groups were encouraged to adopt this effective strategy by joining NACWA and other national organizations in Washington, DC for Water Week 2015 (April 12-18). If you are involved with a regional group that would be interested in joining this coalition, please contact Brenna Mannion at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

EPA to Host Webinar on ‘Buy-American’ Requirements for SRFs

EPA will be hosting a webinar  on the American Iron and Steel (AIS) requirements (a.k.a. the Buy-American requirements) for the State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, February 4 from 1:00 – 2:30 pm EST. The target audiences are states, which are responsible for choosing the SRF projects, and SRF water and wastewater utility funding recipients. The webinar will be repeated again later in February. NACWA will provide the membership with additional details when they are available. More information about AIS requirements can be found on the EPA’s AIS website.

Newly-Appointed EPA Official Joins Winter Conference Program

We are looking forward to seeing many NACWA members in Charleston, SC, at the Association’s 2015 Winter Conference, Leaving the Comfort Zone... Collaborating for Clean Water, February 1 – 4 at the Belmond Charleston Place. We are pleased to announce that EPA’s newly-appointed Acting Deputy Administrator, Stanley Meiburg, has been added to the program, and will be discussing the importance of innovative collaborations from the Agency’s key perspective. Meiburg joins a host of new faces – as well as some familiar ones in new capacities – at next month’s unique program .