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February 26, 1999Water Quality in the New Millennium to be Focus of May Meeting
Plans are well underway for AMSA's 1999 National Environmental Policy Forum & 29th Annual Meeting, May 22-26 in Washington, DC. Speakers, panels and presentations will prepare AMSA's members for Clean Water in the New Millennium . . . The Shape of Things to Come. In the near future, AMSA President Michele Plá will forward a letter to all members urging their active participation in the Policy Forum and its associated activities — including a planned Sunday afternoon Legislative & Regulatory Strategy Briefing for all members to assist in their preparation for visits to Capitol Hill.AMSA Board members are encourage to plan their travel to include a special leadership event on Saturday evening, May 22. An evening of dinner and entertainment, featuring Washington's Capitol Steps, is planned as an expression of appreciation to AMSA's Board members and committee leaders for their significant contributions to the organization. Flyers with a complete program, registration and hotel information will be in the mail next week.
AMSA's President in Washington for Meetings
AMSA President Michele Plá spent much of this week in Washington in meetings with clean water stakeholder organizations, Capitol Hill staff and the National Office. Plá and Executive Director Ken Kirk attended much of the Winter Meeting of the Association of State & Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA). As noted at the February Board of Director's Meeting, the ASIWPCA Board of Directors has invited AMSA's Board to meet with them on Wednesday, May 26, from 12:00 to 4:00 pm, immediately following the conclusion of AMSA's National Environmental Policy Forum. (Please note this meeting when making your plans for return travel from Washington.)While in Washington, Plá met with ASIWPCA President Arlene O'Donnell to discuss the agenda for the joint meeting of the two boards. Planned agenda items include mercury, the total maximum daily load (TMDL) program, and urban wet weather issues, including stormwater management. AMSA's participation in the ASIWPCA Winter Meeting afforded the Association the opportunity to share it's recent publication, Evaluating TMDLs . . . Protecting the Rights of POTWs. In general, the state administrators share a lot of common ground with AMSA members on TMDLs — especially with regard to the issue of state implementation. There was considerable interest in a continuing dialogue on this issue, with the potential that such a dialogue could begin before the May meeting of the AMSA and ASIWPCA boards.
Infrastructure Issues Gain Prominence in Washington
The release of the President's Fiscal Year 2000 Budget and EPA's proposed $550 million cut in funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) has snowballed into a heated debate over infrastructure funding. In a hearing of the House Water Resources & Environment Subcommittee on February 10, Chairman Sherwood L. Boehlert (R-NY) criticized the planned SRF reduction as “irresponsible and indefensible” in light of the predicted $139 billion in clean water infrastructure needs. AMSA is preparing a letter to Congress which echoes Chairman Boehlert's sentiments, calling for a restoration of 1999 SRF funding levels in the FY 2000 budget and the creation of a new grants program to address urban wet weather flows. AMSA plans to testify at House and Senate appropriations hearings in April to inform Congress of our industry's existing and future challenges. Additional developments, including a second House hearing this week are reflected in today's FaxAlert.The AMSA/WEF infrastructure study, The Cost of Clean . . . Meeting Water Quality Challenges in the New Millennium, is in final review in preparation for its release at the National Press Club on March 31. The report provides an assessment of the long-term funding needs for the nation's clean water infrastructure and challenges the 106th Congress to renew and increase the federal government's commitment to our national clean water program. AMSA members will receive pre-release copies of the report the week of March 22, along with background material and a request that they share the report, and their unique local perspective, with their congressional delegation. Congress is slated to begin its spring recess on March 27 — so senators and representatives will be “back home” and available for contact by AMSA members. This opportunity provides an excellent springboard for AMSA's advocacy work on funding leading into the May Policy Forum.
On a related front, AMSA's active voice for clean water infrastructure in the Rebuild America Coalition has resulted in the appointment of the Association's Executive Director to chair the Coalition's new Water Infrastructure Committee. The Committee met for the first time on February 25 to discuss a potential shared strategy to attract public attention to the need to further the nation's investment in water infrastructure. AMSA will work with organizations participating on the Committee, including the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Association of Counties to foster broad municipal support for the new Cost of Clean publication and their participation in the March 31 press conference.
In other funding developments, EPA is making progress toward a May release of its preliminary “gap analysis” on the growing disparity between spending and needs for clean water infrastructure. AMSA and WEF are working with EPA on ways to support the gap analysis through the data developed in the Cost of Clean study.
Campaign for National Biosolids Partnership Underway
Although the appropriations process has only just begun, AMSA is in full stride toward its goal of obtaining Fiscal Year 2000 funding for the National Biosolids Partnership. On February 5, AMSA sent a letter to Senator Christopher S. Bond, Chair of the Senate VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee and Representative James T. Walsh, Chair of the House VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, requesting their support in securing additional funding for the Partnership. The letter, signed by the Association's Executive Committee and 112 members and affiliates, urged the respective Subcommittees to support AMSA's request for $1.775 million for Phase II of the Partnership's program. At the same time, AMSA members responded immediately to a call for action in Legislative Alert 99-1. This combined effort is sure to advance support for the Partnership's objectives on Capitol Hill.Work on Urban Wet Weather Watershed Act of 1999 Continues
AMSA is making steady progress towards finalizing wet weather legislation. The bill has been jointly developed by AMSA, the National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, National Association of Flood & Stormwater Management Agencies, American Public Works Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, CSO Partnership and the Water Environment Federation. In response to a request for comments on the final draft version of the bill (see Legislative Alert 99-2) AMSA members provided staff with feedback and further support for the bill. An ad-hoc advisory group composed of the Wet Weather Issues, Water Quality and Positions committees leadership has conducted several conference calls following the Winter Meeting to direct staff on further technical changes to the bill. The National Office expects to meet with the bill's municipal partners in mid-March to discuss final language and a strategy for encouraging Congressional support for the bill.