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February 13, 1998

Clean Water Action Plan to be Released Next Week

AMSA has learned that the release of the Administration's Clean Water Action Plan will not take place on February 16 as anticipated, but instead at a White House event on Thursday, February 19. AMSA will receive an advance copy of the Plan at a special meeting on Wednesday. The highly-guarded 89-page document is now complete and is said to contain positive messages about the accomplishments of sewage treatment plants. The Clean Water Action Plan will provide an umbrella under which federal government programs in the areas of public health, runoff control, and watersheds can be more effectively coordinated and implemented. AMSA's next step upon receipt of the Plan will be to analyze its implications to ongoing Association initiatives. Next week's FaxAlert will provide additional details regarding the Plan's content and AMSA members will be forwarded copies of the document.

Increased Funding Proposed for Agencies Involved in Clean Water Action Initiatives

All of the agencies involved in the creation of the Clean Water Action Plan have received additional funds to implement the Plan in the President's proposed budget for fiscal year 1999. EPA funding of related intiatives has been increased from $484 million to $629 million; USDA funding has been increased from $439 million to $633 million. Other agencies slated to receive additional funds to implement the Plan include: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Overall, the President has proposed to increase funding for these initiatives from $1,636 to $2,204 billion.

EPA's 1999 budget also includes $1,075 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) and $775 million for the Drinking Water SRF. A total of $228 million is slated for Special Projects, such as Mexico Border, Alaska Native Villages, Boston Harbor, New Orleans, and Bristol County, Massachusetts.

AMSA Opens Membership to All POTWs

At a vote held during the AMSA Winter Conference in San Antonio, Texas the membership approved an amendment to the Association's bylaws eliminating the distinction between "Member" and "Associate Member." Also, the membership category of "Subscriber" was renamed "Affiliate" and will now include both public and private organizations whose interests are compatible with AMSA, but that otherwise fail to meet the requirements of the "Member" category.

The amendment builds upon earlier initiatives including the new streamlined AMSA dues structure approved by the board of directors last July. These changes make AMSA well poised to continue to grow in both the legislative and regulatory arenas as the voice of the POTW community. AMSA is looking forward to current members' participation in the Association's goal to increase membership in 1998. Details of the new AMSA membership campaign will soon be shared with the membership.

  • AMSA members planning to attend the Thinking, Getting & Staying Competitive Workshop in Los Angeles on June 4-5 should take note of the following hotel name change. The Red Lion Hotel at Los Angeles International was recently purchased. The hotel is now a Radisson Hotel. Please note this name change and the new telephone number: 310/649-1776.