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April 14, 2000
Congress Mobilizes to Address Water Infrastructure Gap
This week, key members of Congress called upon their colleagues to join the newly formed bipartisan Water Infrastructure Caucus and begin addressing the massive funding needs outlined in the Water Infrastructure Network's (WIN) report, Clean & Safe Water for the 21st Century. Announcing the caucus's formation on the grounds of the Capitol building, Chair and Ranking Member of the House Water Resources & Environment Subcommittee Reps. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.), Robert Borski (D-Pa.) joined the chair and ranking member of the House Health & Environment Subcommittee Reps. Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in pledging to educate fellow Members of Congress and build support for an envisioned “Water 21” — a bill that would renew the federal government's commitment to funding America's clean and safe water infrastructure. The four lawmakers issued a “dear colleague letter” inviting House members to join the Water Infrastructure Caucus and commending Clean & Safe Water for the 21st Century to their attention. As of today, 21 Members of Congress have joined the Water Infrastructure Caucus. Legislative Alert 00-05, to be issued next week, urges AMSA agencies to ask their representatives to join the Water Infrastructure Caucus.Environmental groups joined WIN's broad-based coalition in support of Clean & Safe Water for the 21st Century. Clean Water Action was added to the list of 21 WIN organizations, and the Natural Resources Defense Council issued a statement in which NRDC Senior Attorney Erik Olson called for water infrastructure funding to be “front and center on the national agenda.” Look for full coverage of the release of the report and the announcement of the Congressional Water Infrastructure Caucus in the April Clean Water News. Copies of Clean & Safe Water for the 21st Century are available online at www.amsa-cleanwater.org/advocacy/winreport.cfm.
OMB Consults AMSA on Draft EPA SSO Proposal
The White House's Office of Management & Budget (OMB) consulted AMSA this week on the costs and benefits of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) draft proposed sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) regulations. AMSA Board Member Buddy Morgan, Montgomery Ala. Water Works & Sewer Board General Manager, provided OMB with information and background on the SSO regulation development. OMB is currently conducting an expedited review of the regulations to determine if the rule's benefits justify its costs. EPA estimates the cost of it's current draft proposal at over $80 billion. OMB officials shared many of the same concerns as AMSA members. For instance, OMB expressed its preference for addressing SSOs in a watershed context to achieve more cost effective public health protection. OMB was also concerned about the determination of liability for unavoidable overflows and the premature timing of EPA's recent SSO enforcement guidance. OMB also asked for clarification of the Williamsburg SSO Federal Advisory Committee agreement.Register Today for AMSA's 2000 National Environmental Policy Forum & 30th Anniversary Meeting. A special agenda has been developed for the meeting, which will be held May 20-24, 2000 in Washington, DC. The program will focus on past and future AMSA achievements. Be sure to make hotel reservations by April 28, 2000, to ensure the special rate of $165 single/double at the Marriott at Metro Center, 202/737-2200. Additional information was mailed to the membership. To register online or to check the latest conference and program information, visit the Conferences & Meetings Section of AMSA's web site.