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June 6, 2003 AMSA Fax Alert

Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - June 6, 2003

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June 6, 2003

AMSA Sends Security Funding Resolution to Congress
AMSA this week sent a resolution to all Senators urging their support of the Wastewater Treatment Works Security Act of 2003 (S. 1039), introduced by Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. The resolution was adopted unanimously by the AMSA membership at the 2003 May Forum and seeks to focus the Senate’s attention on passing S. 1039 and providing municipalities with key funding to conduct vulnerability assessments and implement basic security enhancements. S. 1039 recently passed the EPW Committee on a bipartisan vote of 13-6 and a similar House version of the bill, H.R. 866, passed the House by an overwhelming 413-12 vote. Both bills would provide $200 million in grants for wastewater utilities to conduct vulnerability assessments and implement security enhancements, $15 million for technical assistance on security measures, and $1 million per year for five years for EPA to make grants to nonprofit organizations for the improvement of vulnerability self-assessment methodologies and tools for wastewater utilities. Based on the broad bipartisan support in the Senate and House, AMSA is optimistic that report language will be released soon and that S. 1039 will pass through the Senate swiftly. AMSA will continue to work closely with congressional staff on this critical funding issue. The resolution is available on AMSA’s web site at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/06-02-03Sec_Resolution.pdf.

AMSA Maintains Defense of Blending
On May 30, AMSA met with J.P. Suarez, Assistant Administrator (AA) of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) and other EPA officials, to discuss the importance of allowing wastewater treatment agencies to blend peak excess flows in full compliance with effluent limits contained in their permits [see May 30 FaxAlert]. As a follow-up to that meeting, AMSA sent a letter today to AA Suarez thanking him for his time and reiterating the importance that EPA release a clear national blending policy for public comment, as soon as possible. In the letter, AMSA expressed its concern about OECA’s potential support of requiring utilities that blend to conduct a “no feasible alternative” determination. Specifically, the letter stated that such a requirement, added to the Office of Water’s (OW) conditions for blending contained in OW’s draft guidance, would be more difficult to comply with than the bypass regulations. AMSA also reiterated in this letter that EPA’s forthcoming guidance must recognize that blending is not covered by the bypass regulations. Officials from OECA and OW are expected to meet again on June 10 with Deputy Administrator Linda Fisher to discuss blending and AMSA will update members on any further developments on this issue stemming from this key meeting. A copy of AMSA’s letter is on AMSA’s web site at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/03-06-06suarezletter.pdf.

Hotel Deadline Nears for AMSA’s 2003 Summer Conference
June 13 is the deadline to reserve a room at the special conference rate for AMSA’s 2003 Summer Conference, Water Quality and the Wastewater Community: Emerging Pollutants, and New Challenges. The conference takes place July 15-18 in Boston, Massachusetts at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, so make your reservations today by calling 617/267-5300. A preliminary program and registration information was mailed to AMSA members earlier this week. Please visit AMSA’s website at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/meetings/03summer/ for online registration information, a detailed agenda of the conference, and additional hotel information.