Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - June 3, 2005
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for the FaxAlert ArchiveJune 3, 2005
NACWA Looks to ‘Next Steps’ on Blending
With EPA stating recently that it will not finalize its November 2003 blending policy as proposed, the Agency is exploring new avenues to address the blending issue and NACWA will continue to advocate on behalf of the need for a consistent national policy. Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Water, Benjamin Grumbles, stated that EPA needs to “rethink its approach to managing wet weather flows, but the reality is blending may be the only feasible solution in some circumstances.” Grumbles also said that if communities can demonstrate that blending is the “only feasible alternative under various scenarios, that is the direction [EPA] is likely to go.” This echoes language contained in the Agency’s bypass regulation, which NACWA has consistently maintained does not apply to blending. In light of these actions, the Association will be working closely through its active committee structure to develop next steps on the blending issue both in terms of its congressional and regulatory strategies. In the meantime, blending continues to be a legal and viable wet weather treatment practice and NACWA will continue to make this point clear to policymakers and the public. Given recent activity on blending the legal arena will be an area of strategic focus. For example, the Association recently participated in oral arguments in a key blending case, PMAA v. EPA, and will share the court’s decision with members as soon as it becomes available. Visit NACWA’s Litigation Tracker (http://www.nacwa.org/private/littrack/) for more details.Contact Congress to Ensure
Full Funding for CWSRF, National Biosolids Partnership
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies is scheduled to mark up its appropriations bill that includes EPA’s budget for fiscal year (FY) 2006 on June 7. The full Appropriations Committee is slated to take up the bill on June 9. NACWA encourages its members to contact their Senators on these key Committees and urge them to restore the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) to its FY 2004 level of $1.35 billion. The Administration has proposed to cut the CWSRF by $360 million and the House is seeking a $250 million cut making it critical that your Senators hear from you. While NACWA’s efforts – in conjunction with a broad coalition of municipal, state, environmental and other stakeholder organizations – were successful in getting lawmakers in the House to add $120 million to the Administration’s proposal, the Senate has shown broader support for fully funding the program. The Association will continue to work with this coalition as the Senate deliberates on EPA’s budget to ensure full funding for the CWSRF. NACWA also encourages members to contact their Senators urging them to fund the National Biosolids Partnership (NBP) at $1 million to support its environmental management system (EMS) program. With a reduced budget for programs across the board, it is imperative your Senators hear from you. To contact your Senators, simply click on the ‘Write Congress Now’ icon located on NACWA’s homepage (www.nacwa.org).NACWA Launches Public Relations Website, Seeks Member Input
NACWA launched its Public Relations (PR) Resources webpage (http://www.nacwa.org/private/pr/) this week which contains advocacy and informational materials for use by members in their public relations efforts. These materials, which are organized by topic area, will help ensure consistency in advocating priority clean water issues. The items posted to date were made available by NACWA, its members and other agencies and organizations. The site is password protected so only NACWA members will be able to access this information. The Association encourages all members to review the site and submit PR materials for posting to John Thibodeau, Manager of Communications and Public Affairs, at 202/296-9836 or jthibodeau@nacwa.org. The Association’s Communications & Public Relations Committee will also be working on an ongoing basis to populate the site with additional information. If your agency wishes to become active in the Communications & Public Relations Committee, contact John Thibodeau.