Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - June 21, 2002
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June 21, 2002
AMSA Provides Security Funding Recommendations to Congress
After meeting with the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee staff on several occasions over the past weeks regarding security funding legislation for publicly owned treatment works (POTWs), AMSA today provided T&I Committee staff with written recommendations on POTW security funding needs. AMSA’s recommendations are pivotal to introducing and passing security funding legislation on a fast-track this session. AMSA’s Wastewater Infrastructure Security Task Force helped to develop the recommendations, which suggest funding levels of $200 million in fiscal year 2003 for immediate countermeasures and security upgrades identified through vulnerability assessments, as well as $1 million a year for the next five years to support the continued improvement of AMSA’s Vulnerability Self Assessment Tool (VSAT™), due to be released in early July. A number of other significant recommendations were made in the document which can be reviewed by AMSA members at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/faxalerts/062102b.pdf.
AMSA, WIN Urge House Members to Cosponsor H.R. 3930
The Water Infrastructure Network (WIN), of which AMSA is a founding member, is seeking to secure additional cosponsors for H.R. 3930, the bipartisan Water Quality Financing Act of 2002, and will be placing an ad in the June 24 edition of Roll Call, Capitol Hill’s premier publication, thanking current cosponsors of, and urging other Representatives to sign on to, H.R. 3930. H.R. 3930, which would increase the authorization level of the clean water state revolving fund to $20 billion over five years, has already received the support of 65 cosponsors. The T&I Committee is working closely with WIN and AMSA to increase support for H.R. 3930 to send it to the House floor for a vote this session. AMSA believes H.R. 3930 is a solid first step toward developing a long-term sustainable funding solution for wastewater infrastructure. AMSA urges its members to seek congressional support for H.R. 3930, and to use the WIN ad in their agencies’ advocacy efforts on behalf of H.R. 3930. The ad can be copied from AMSA’s web site at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/faxalerts/062102a.pdf.
AMSA Seeks Input on EPA’s Water Quality Criteria for Bacteria
EPA recently published a revised draft of its Implementation Guidance for Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Bacteria (Draft Guidance) which includes information to help states transition from the use of total and fecal coliform counts to E. coli and enterococci as indicators of unhealthy levels of bacteria in recreational waters. The Draft Guidance also gives information on provisions of the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000, requiring coastal and Great Lakes states to adopt EPA’s recommended water quality criteria for bacteria or equally protective criteria by April 2004. The comment deadline on the Draft Guidance is August 2, 2002. Members should send comments to Will Pettit at wpettit@amsa-cleanwater.org by July 22 for inclusion in AMSA’s comments. The Draft Guidance is at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/standards/bacteria.
- Today is the deadline to receive the special conference rate at the Hilton Portland for AMSA’s 2002 Summer Conference — Controlling Wet Weather Overflows . . . Challenges and Solutions — in Portland Ore., July 16–19, so call the hotel at 503/226-1611 today!
- Remember to submit your comments on EPA's proposed Effluent Limitations Guidelines for the Meat and Poultry Products Industry by June 25. AMSA's comments will be available on June 24 for members to include in their submissions to EPA. Contact Chris Hornback at chornback@amsa-cleanwater.org for a copy of AMSA’s comments.