Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - March 8, 2002
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March 8, 2002
Senate Environment Committee to Mark Up S. 1961,
House Transportation Committee to Introduce Infrastructure Bill
AMSA would like to thank all of our members who have contacted their Senators concerning the Water Investment Act of 2002 (S. 1961). With the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee expected to mark up S. 1961 next week, contacting your Senators helps the wastewater community's views be heard on the Hill. In the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, a water infrastructure funding bill will be introduced early next week. The bill is focused on core wastewater infrastructure needs, makes federal funds available for security measures, and recognizes the progress communities are making on asset management. A hearing on the T&I bill is set for March 13 and Pat Karney, Director of the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, will testify for AMSA. A Legislative Alert analyzing the T&I bill will be sent early next week when the final bill is dropped. AMSA is pleased to see the foundation we laid for federal water infrastructure funding coming to fruition in both houses of Congress!
AMSA Releases Key Report on Mercury Pollution Prevention
Today AMSA released its Mercury Source Control and Pollution Prevention Program Evaluation — Final Report. While demonstrating that mercury source control and pollution prevention programs have the potential to achieve measurable reductions in influent levels of mercury, the Report finds that the extent to which these programs alone will enable publicly owned treatment works to meet increasingly stringent mercury effluent limits is limited. The Report, funded by EPA, is the product of two years of cooperative effort between AMSA and the Agency to evaluate the effectiveness of pollution prevention programs at controlling the amount of mercury discharged by dental offices, hospitals, and other sources into the sewer system. AMSA hopes this project will provide a better understanding of how to curb releases of mercury to the environment. AMSA extends special thanks to those members who contributed their time and expertise to the project. The Report is available at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/advocacy/mercgrant/.
AMSA to Issue Report to Aid in Integrating Water Quality Lists
AMSA, the Federal Water Quality Coalition and the American Farm Bureau Federation have joined forces on a key publication to be released Monday to provide states with suggestions on preparing the next round of integrated water quality listing reports. AMSA believes the document — Preparation of Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Reports — will help ensure that the best science and data are fully considered as states develop "Integrated Reports" under a November 19, 2001 EPA Listing Guidance. The guidance recommends that states combine their Clean Water Act §303(d) lists of impaired waters with the §305(b) water quality reports. This document will be available Monday on AMSA's web site and will be described in more detail in the future.
AMSA's Regional Asset Management Workshops - Next Stop . . . Baltimore!
AMSA's second Asset Management Workshop, Managing Public Infrastructure Assets to Minimize Cost and Maximize Performance, will be held in Baltimore, Md., on April 4-5. The workshop curriculum provides a detailed overview of asset management concepts and benefits through the use of interactive presentations and case studies. Registration is limited to 100 participants. Register today by visiting http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/meetings/02regwork/.