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April 20, 2001
AMSA Amicus Shows Value of Notice and Comment
This week AMSA filed an amicus brief in City of Anderson v. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). This case concerns DHEC's adoption - without any opportunity for public input or comment - of an index-based numeric translator for determining whether South Carolina's narrative water quality standard for aquatic life use is impaired due to phosphorus or pH. AMSA's brief explains that "affected parties (including members of AMSA) had no opportunity to comment on or participate in the development of a system that effectively determines the need for imposing more stringent effluent limits on individual dischargers to waterbodies identified as 'impaired'". AMSA emphasizes that the "rulemaking procedures established by federal and state administrative procedures acts are some of the most important procedures for seeking appropriate input to develop sound policies because they are designed to assure fairness and mature consideration of rules of general application". See AMSA's brief at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/litigation/4-18-01amicusbrief.pdf. Members will be kept apprised of developments in this case as it move forward.
WIN Launches New Web Site for Earth Day
The Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) is celebrating the 31st anniversary of Earth Day by launching a new internet web site to promote clean and safe water for all Americans. AMSA members visiting the website at http://www.win-water.org can download WIN's reports, Clean and Safe Water for the 21st Century (April 2000) and Water Infrastructure NOW (February 2001), and find the latest news on WIN's activities. The web site gives AMSA members easy access to the information necessary to take action and stay informed, including Congressional activity, news, and reports on water and wastewater infrastructure. AMSA members are encouraged to download a copy of the news release announcing the website from http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/about/releases/042201.cfm and share it with local elected officials, municipal press officers, and local news outlets. AMSA also was instrumental in preparing a WIN advertisement that will be published in the Earth Day edition of Roll Call, the most widely-read political newspaper on Capitol Hill.
WIN Responds to CBO Criticism
Last year, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was asked by a group of Representatives to review current needs estimates for water and wastewater infrastructure, including reports by both EPA and the Water Infrastructure Network.(WIN). AMSA, WIN member organizations, and federal executives have met with CBO officials to give them relevant information on current and future needs. Although CBO has not finished its report, an official presented preliminary findings during testimony at last month's House Water Resources Subcommittee hearing on water infrastructure needs. The testimony questioned some of WIN's assumptions, mistakenly attributed government data to WIN, and misstated other WIN findings. This week, AMSA coordinated WIN's detailed response to the CBO testimony and is now in the process of transmitting that information to Members and staff on the Water Resources Subcommittee.
> AMSA Policy Forum Hotel Deadline April 27 . . . Plan now to attend AMSA's 2001 National Environmental Policy Forum & 31st Annual Meeting, The New Political Landscape. . . Moving the POTW Agenda Forward, May 19-23, 2001 in Washington, DC. The deadline to receive AMSA's special hotel rate is April 27th. Contact the Marriott at Metro Center, 800/228-9290, for reservations. Visit AMSA's web site for the most up-to-date conference agenda and online registration, http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org.