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February 4, 2000
Municipal Wet Weather Legislation Introduced
This week, after over a year of discussions and collaboration with municipal partner organizations and the House Water Resources & Environment Subcommittee members and staff, AMSA has accomplished the introduction of wet weather legislation intended to bring a new level of certainty and flexibility to municipal wet weather programs and provide federal support for combined and sanitary sewer and stormwater programs. Reps. Steve LaTourette (R-OH) and William Pascrell (D-NJ) introduced the Urban Wet Weather Priorities Act of 2000 — H.R. 3570 — in the U.S. House of Representatives on February 3. In the coming weeks, H.R. 3570 will be the focus of intensive outreach efforts to win a number of bipartisan cosponsors as well as the support of the broader clean water stakeholder communities.AMSA Urges Continued Funding for National Biosolids Partnership
This week, AMSA members urged the leadership and members of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees with jurisdiction over clean water funding to continue their support of the National Biosolids Partnership for fiscal year 2001. More than 150 AMSA member agency representatives in attendance at the Association's 2000 Winter Conference in Albuquerque, NM signed a letter which thanked the subcommittees for their past support, updated them on the Partnership's accomplishments and crucial upcoming projects, and requested $1.3 million to continue the Partnership's efforts.Due to election-year pressures, a compressed legislative session in expected. Therefore, weighing in early on biosolids funding issues is crucial to continued support of the Partnership. AMSA is planning to continue its work to secure funding for the Partnership by working with lawmakers and their staffs. Legislative Alert 00-02 contains further information and a sample letter to aid AMSA members in contacting their congressional delegation to support continued funding to the National Biosolids Partnership.
AMSA Winter Conference Engages Members on Utility Leadership
This week in Albuquerque, NM, AMSA hosted and extremely successful 2000 Winter Conference, Utility Leadership in the New Millennium. AMSA members participated in general sessions that explored the many issues surrounding public utility leadership and introduced essential tools for effective leaders, including the latest AMSA/Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies competitive management handbook, Creating High Performance Business Services; the AMSA/Water Environment Research Foundation online POTW database, Clean Water Central; AMSA's 1999 Financial Survey; and discussions on enhancing the public procurement process for improved utility performance.Look for more information on the 2000 Winter Conference Utility Leadership in the New Millennium, AMSA's Board of Directors activities, and AMSA special committees in AMSA's February and March Clean Water News. Audio tapes of the conference informative, thought-provoking sessions are available, and order forms will be included in upcoming issues of the Clean Water News.