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AMSA Legislative Alert LA06-3

Member Pipeline - Legislative - Alert (LA06-3)

To: Members & Affiliates
From: National Office
Date: March 28, 2006
Subject: CONGRESSIONAL / EPA VISITS AND CAPITOL HILL RECEPTION INVITATIONS
Reference: LA06-03

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Action Alert:
Schedule Visits with Congress or
U.S. EPA Officials

The National Clean Water Policy Forum — a joint offering of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) / Water Environment Federation (WEF) at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC — will begin April 30 with Pre-Forum Meetings including NACWA’s 2006 Awards Luncheon, WEF’s Government Affairs Committee Meeting and a Special Briefing on Pandemic Preparedness for Public Utilities. The Policy Forum will officially begin on May 1 with the Welcoming Reception. A detailed program of events can be found on NACWA’s website (www.nacwa.org/meetings). The Policy Forum provides NACWA members with an excellent opportunity to visit the offices of their Members of Congress or schedule meetings with staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) while they are here in Washington. This Legislative Alert provides information to help you prepare for your Congressional/EPA visits as well as an opportunity to invite your Members of Congress to the Capitol Hill Reception on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 from 6:00 - 7:30pm.

Make Appointments to Meet Your Member or Visit EPA Headquarters
Meeting regularly with your Members of Congress and their staff is critical to educating and building a lasting relationship with your federal elected officials. For this reason, NACWA members are encouraged to schedule appointments to visit their congressional delegations during their time in Washington, DC. NACWA members also may want to visit with EPA officials to discuss regulatory or enforcement issues specific to their individual utilities.

For your convenience, NACWA is preparing short briefing papers on the Association’s top government affairs issues that reflect the clean water community’s national legislative and regulatory priorities. This information can be used as a reference during your meetings, as leave-behind documents for your Members of Congress in and their staff in Washington and back in your home State and District.

To make an appointment with your Representatives, Senators and/or their Congressional staff, contact the Appointment Secretary or Scheduler for your Member and explain who you represent and the issues you plan to discuss. For congressional addresses, phone and fax numbers, please refer to NACWA’s website (http://www.nacwa.org/private/usefullinks_leg.cfm). If you need assistance with scheduling your meetings, please call NACWA’s Lee Garrigan at 202/833-4655.

To make an appointment with an employee at the EPA, you can use the EPA Employee Directory (http://www.epa.gov/epahome/locator.htm) or call NACWA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, Chris Hornback, for assistance at 202/833-9106.

Invite Your Representatives to the NACWA/WEF Capitol Hill Reception
NACWA and WEF will host a Capitol Hill Reception on the spectacular 9th floor of the Capitol View Business Center at 101 Constitution Ave. in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. NACWA’s National Office has extended invitations to the Members and staff of the House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior, Environment & Related Agencies.

Please feel free to invite members of your Agency’s Congressional delegation, EPA officials whom your Agency works closely with or a member of your Agency’s lobbying team for this enjoyable evening at this beautiful venue. A 2006 Capitol Hill Reception Invitation is available on NACWA’s website (http://www.nacwa.org/getfile.cfm?fn=2006-05hrinv.pdf) for you to download and e-mail or forward to your guests.

For more information regarding the Capitol Hill Reception, please contact NACWA’s Lee Garrigan at (202) 833-4655. Thank you and we look forward to your participation in the National Clean Water Policy Forum in May.

NACWA Urges Members to Make Hotel Reservations as Soon as Possible
The hotel deadline for the 2006 National Clean Water Policy Forum is rapidly approaching, so make your accommodations today by calling the Capital Hilton at 202/393-1000 to guarantee the special conference rate of $219 single/double by April 7, 2006. For agenda and online registration information, visit NACWA’s Conferences & Meetings webpage (http://www.nacwa.org/meetings/06may/).