Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - February 11, 2005
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February 11, 2005
Administration
Proposes Further Cuts to Clean Water Revolving Fund
The Bush Administration this week proposed to cut EPA’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2006 by $500 million (from $8.1 billion to $7.6 billion). The vast majority of this reduction would be achieved by a proposed cut of $361 million (from $1.09 billion to $730 million) to the Agency’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). This comes on the heels of last year’s budget cut which slashed the CWSRF from $1.35 billion to $1.09 billion. AMSA believes this is further evidence of the federal government’s untenable position that the nation’s water quality does not require federal participation. In response to the Administration’s proposed budget cuts AMSA drafted a press release (http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/advocacy/releases/020705.cfm) calling for full CWSRF funding in the short-term and a trust fund to address long-term funding problems.On a related note, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) held a hearing this week on EPA’s proposed budget for FY ’06 at which EPA’s Acting Administrator, Stephen Johnson, testified. Several EPW Senators from both sides of the aisle told Johnson that they would work to restore full CWSRF funding. Hearings in the U.S. House of Representatives on EPA’s budget will take place in the coming weeks. The Association will work with key members of the House and Senate to achieve full CWSRF funding and to urge movement toward a dedicated trust fund as a long-term goal. Several key media outlets quoted the Association this week, including the Los Angeles Times and the Atlanta Journal Constitution, on the need for a meaningful federal-state-local partnership to protect the nation’s clean water future. For a complete list of articles citing AMSA on the FY 2006 budget, visit the Association’s Newsroom website (http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/advocacy/news.cfm).
AMSA, Municipal Groups
Meet with EPA to Discuss Priority Clean Water Issues
AMSA was joined by officials from the Water Environment Federation, the National League of Cities, the National Rural Water Association, the National Association of Counties and American Public Works Association at a meeting with key EPA officials to discuss the status of several Agency initiatives involving clean water. EPA officials told attendees that they are continuing to work on finalizing the Agency’s Pretreatment Streamlining Rule while AMSA provides the Agency with more information on two key issues – equivalent mass limits for concentration limits, and the definition of a non-significant categorical industrial user. If EPA pursues these issues in line with AMSA’s urging, finalization of the rule could extend beyond the Agency’s summer 2005 deadline.EPA officials also expressed concern regarding the President’s FY ‘06 budget request, to zero out the Water Quality Cooperative Agreement (WQCA) – currently funded at $20 million. The WQCA funds EPA activities in the areas of environmental management systems, asset management, and the pretreatment workshops. EPA also discussed its plan to meet with key stakeholders in early May to develop long-term strategies for asset management issues, and is looking to the wastewater industry to develop a model for best practices. Additionally, the groups were told that movement toward finalizing the blending guidance has stalled due to the recent departure of Administrator Leavitt and the delay in naming a successor. Agency officials expressed interest in AMSA’s project to create a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) policy for collection system permitting and management, which is expected to be completed by the end of February 2005. AMSA will continue to work with EPA to ensure the clean water community’s voice is heard on the host of clean water issues.