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February 22, 2002 AMSA Fax Alert

Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - February 22, 2002

February 22, 2002

AMSA Analyzes Infrastructure Bill, Prepares to Testify in Senate
Last week the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee introduced its version of a water and wastewater infrastructure funding bill, S. 1961, the Water Investment Act of 2002 that would significantly amend specific sections of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Acknowledging the need for increased federal support, the bill boosts Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund authorization levels significantly over a five year period; however, it also sets considerable hurdles for municipalities desiring to access that funding. AMSA has spent the week analyzing key provisions of the legislation with a number of AMSA members, and the Water Infrastructure Network to craft constructive testimony. On February 28, AMSA Vice President Paul Pinault, Executive Director of the Narragansett Bay Commission, will deliver the testimony on behalf of AMSA, outlining the Association's perspectives on the bill. AMSA would also like to hear your thoughts and concerns on the bill, so please contact AMSA's Lee Garrigan at 202/833-4655 or lgarrigan@amsa-cleanwater.org. The bill has been forwarded to AMSA's membership via Legislative Alert and is available on AMSA's web site at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/legalrts/la02-01a.pdf. EPW Committee Chair Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT), has placed the bill on a fast track and plans to mark up the legislation in early March, with floor action expected prior to the July 4 recess.

AMSA also anticipates the introduction of other bills as Congress considers solutions to the country's water and wastewater infrastructure funding shortfall. In the House, two significant legislative initiatives are anticipated. Representatives Sue Kelly (R-NY) and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) are expected to reintroduce an expanded funding proposal by early March. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee also is writing a bill which it expects to introduce by mid-March. AMSA and the Water Infrastructure Network will be intimately involved with these legislative efforts and will keep Association members fully apprised of these evolving initiatives.

AMSA Meets with New Water Enforcement Head on SSO Issues
This week AMSA met with Mark Pollins, Acting Director of the Water Enforcement Division of EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance to discuss the forthcoming sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) proposed rule. AMSA vetted some key ideas for reaching a more workable SSO proposal, including making a POTW's implementation of a capacity, management, operations, and maintenance or "CMOM" program a limiting factor with regard to enforcement action. AMSA also raised the possibility of using compliance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit as a bar or shield to SSO enforcement, as well as developing a separate performance standard based on CMOM instead of holding the collection system to the secondary treatment standard for POTWs. AMSA will continue a dialogue with OECA and the Office of Water program office on this key issue, and will involve the membership in future developments as EPA prepares to issue its SSO proposed rule.

This is the last week to register for AMSA's first of four asset management workshops to be held Feb. 28 - March 1 in San Francisco, California. Attendance for each workshop is limited to 100 people and the California offering is nearly full so register today! Registration information for this and the three other asset management workshops is available at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org.