Clean Water Current Archive

May 2, 2008

NACWA Meets with Key Senate Subcommittee on Clean Water Priorities

NACWA met this week with staff of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation Safety, Infrastructure Security, and Water Quality, on key legislative issues of interest to member agencies.  Lautenberg recognizes the potential impact of climate change on the management of water resources and has sought out the views of the clean water community in addressing this issue.  In June, the Senate EPW Committee is expected to consider America’s Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191), which would set up a cap-and-trade program to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.  Lautenberg is working on an amendment with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the full committee, which would provide about $2 billion through the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy Efficiency Block Grants program for municipal energy efficiency projects, including those at clean water agencies.  Another amendment being considered would provide funding for adaptation, but would address the gamut of industries, not just clean water agencies.  At this time, Lautenberg’s staff does not expect municipalities to be regulated under the legislation.  NACWA continues to meet with congressional staff to push for funding in any climate change legislation that will help clean water agencies cover the cost of adapting to and mitigating the impacts of changes in the climate.

Lautenberg’s office also expressed particular interest in the recently negotiated agreement between American Rivers and NACWA on the Raw Sewage Community Right-to-Know Act (H.R. 2452), legislation setting requirements for the reporting and notification of sewer overflows.  The negotiated bill is expected to be introduced as a substitute amendment and considered the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee later this month. The Senate EPW Committee will likely wait until the House acts on the bill and then use that version rather than marking up Lautenberg’s bill (S. 2080).

Another priority for the Senate committee is the introduction and passage of a bill reauthorizing the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF).  However, Lautenberg and others on the committee recognize the importance of providing more funding for the CWSRF, particularly as new concerns have arisen about emerging challenges, such as the presence of trace levels of pharmaceuticals in drinking water samples.

NACWA, WEF Send Letter Supporting Biosolids Use on Land, Balanced Panel in Hearing

NACWA and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) sent a letter (PDF) today to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, urging her to invite a municipal witness with expertise in the management of biosolids to testify at a possible upcoming hearing on the use of biosolids as a fertilizer.  In addition, NACWA members and staff have scheduled a meeting next week with Boxer’s office to discuss this important issue.  Last fall, Boxer requested information from EPA about its biosolids management program.  Since that time, a series of articles have run in the media questioning the safety of land applying biosolids.  NACWA and WEF want to ensure that the municipal perspective on the safety and benefits of land applying biosolids is prominently articulated in any upcoming hearing.  The letter pointed out that “thousands of local governments throughout the United States, including the state of California, rely on land application for environmentally beneficial management of biosolids.  In fact, commercially available biosolids compost has been used to fertilize the White House grounds,” the letter said.

NACWA President Chris Westhoff, an assistant city attorney and public works general counsel for Los Angeles, was recommended as an ideal witness because he was actively involved in lawsuit whereby residents of nearby Kern County unsuccessfully sought to block Los Angeles from applying biosolids on land owned by the city, and because he has had extensive experience in the management of biosolids for California’s largest city.  The letter pointed out that Californians generate 750,000 tons of biosolids annually and that more than 60 percent is land applied.  NACWA will continue to its advocacy regarding the beneficial use of biosolids on Capitol Hill.

NACWA Meets with EPA Water Office Chief on Utility Management, Climate Change

The executive directors and key staff from the six organizations, including NACWA, participating in the Effective Utility Management Collaborative Effort met April 30 with Ben Grumbles, EPA assistant administrator for water, to discuss the significant progress made since the groups signed a historic agreement in May 2007.  Joining NACWA at the meeting were the American Public Works Association (APWA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), the National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF).  The groups have been working with EPA over the past year to implement a set of short- and long-term actions identified by the steering committee of utility representatives that developed the 10 attributes of effectively management utilities.  Together with some representatives from the initial steering committee, the collaborating organizations have worked to develop a primer on the 10 attributes and a set of example measures that utilities can use to assess their own agency’s performance.  Concurrent with that project, NACWA has been leading an effort to develop an online toolbox that will supplement the information in the primer and provide utilities with a comprehensive list of resources from the collaborating groups organized according to the 10 attributes.  The meeting with Grumbles focused on what can be done in the coming years to continue this effort and encourage more utilities to embrace the concepts in the 10 attributes.  NACWA has already modified its Excellence in Management Awards program to closely track with the 10 attributes and will be working with its partner organizations to find more ways to integrate them into their respective members’ operations.

NACWA also met with Grumbles this week at the National Association Outreach Meeting, where he discussed the National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change that was released for public review March 28.  The Strategy contains 46 “Key Actions” that the Office of Water will undertake in the current and next fiscal years to address climate change impacts to water resources and water sector utilities.  Grumbles stated that although other longer-term actions were considered by EPA, they were not included in this Strategy, and EPA is interested in suggestions for longer-term actions to address the water management-climate change nexus.  He also said that EPA is now recognizing that the impact of new requirements on the municipal carbon footprint should be considered in EPA policymaking. Also, more broadly, more stringent wastewater treatment requirements could be weighed against the need for more energy to achieve that level of treatment; although Grumbles noted that EPA still has statutory requirements that it must meet and often has limited flexibility with these requirements.  NACWA will address this issue and make recommendations for longer-term actions in its public comments on the Strategy.