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June 19, 1998
AMSA Efforts Secure $1 Million in House for Biosolids Partnership
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD & Independent Agencies yesterday agreed to include $1 million for the National Biosolids Partnership in their 1999 budget recommendation for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). AMSA members have been actively engaged in securing funding for the Partnership, a joint effort of AMSA and the Water Environment Federation. Many AMSA members responded to a "call for action" by contacting their congressional delegation and requesting support for the Partnership. While this legislation still has to go through many more steps before it becomes law, the inclusion of our request is significant and bodes well for the success of the National Biosolids Partnership’s efforts to develop a Code of Management Practices.
The subcommittee recommended a total of $7.4 billion for the Agency in 1999. Included in this total is: $656 million for the Science and Technology Account; $1.85 billion for the Environmental Programs and Management Account (includes funding for the Partnership); $1.45 billion for the Superfund account; and, $3.23 billion for the State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG) account. Included in the STAG account is funding for the Clean Water ($1.25 billion) and Safe Drinking Water ($775 million) State Revolving Funds. According to mark-up notes obtained by the National Office, the legislation provides full funding for the portions the Administration’s Clean Water Action Plan funded though the Environmental Programs and Management and STAG accounts. As of this writing, the legislation has not been enrolled, so we are unable to provide members with a bill number. AMSA will continue to report new developments as they occur.
AMSA to Participate on Radiation Standards Steering Committee
Over the past few months, as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and EPA prepare to conduct a survey of radioactivity in POTW biosolids and ash, AMSA has pursued representation on a committee to oversee and monitor the results of the survey and to help resolve some of the issues that would ensue if elevated reading should be discovered. AMSA is pleased to report that the Sewage Subcommittee of the Interagency Steering Committee on Radiation Standards has invited two AMSA member agency representatives to serve on the Committee. Ray Kearney, Co-chair of AMSA’s Biosolids Committee and Regulatory Liaison for the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, and Thomas Lenhart, Assitant General Counsel for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, will participate in detailed Subcommittee discussions and provide scientific and technical guidance on issues of the wastewater treatment agencies as NRC and EPA move forward with the survey and efforts to produce a guidance document for POTWs.
1996 TRI Data Released by EPA
On June 18, EPA released the 1996 Toxic Release Inventory, which report that releases of certain toxic chemicals to the environment decreased slightly that year to approximately 2.4 billion pounds. Total releases in 1995 were 2.5 billion pounds. The report shows the greatest amount of decrease occured in air releases, which dropped by 115 million pounds. The report also shows that releases to surface water increased 14 million pounds (9%). Hard copies of the report are available through the National Center for Environmental Publications and Information (800/490-9198 or fax 513/489-8695). The document numbers are EPA 745-R-98-005 for the 1996 Toxics Release Inventory Public Data Release and EPA 745-F-98-001 for the 1996 Toxics Release Inventory Public Data Release State Fact Sheets. The documents can also be obtained on the web at www.epa.gov/epahome/press.cfm.