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July 1, 2004 AMSA Fax Alert

Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - July 1, 2004

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July 1, 2004

AMSA Forms Public Relations Committee to Enhance Local, National Outreach Efforts
AMSA is pleased to announce the formation of a new Communications & Public Relations Committee created by the Association’s Board of Directors at AMSA’s May 2004 National Environmental Policy Forum, in Washington, DC. The Board elected Jamie Samons, Public Affairs Manager, Narragansett Bay Commission, Providence, RI, as “Chair” of the Committee and Steve Pearlman, Director of Regulatory and Connector Relations, Metro Wastewater Reclamation District, Denver, Colo, an AMSA Board Member, will be the Committee’s Board Liaison. The Committee will enhance and help coordinate both member utility and AMSA outreach initiatives at the local and national levels. The creation of the Committee is also extremely timely given AMSA’s ongoing Strategic Planning Initiative, a central goal of which is to have the media, utility customers, and the general public view wastewater treatment utilities, and the public servants who operate them, as the “true environmentalists” protecting the nation's water quality, the environment, and public health. AMSA contacted its list of member agency public relations contacts earlier this week, seeking their interest in becoming committee members. There was a strong response from these contacts and AMSA would like to extend a similar opportunity to get involved to all its members. To obtain additional information about this committee, or if you are interested in joining and have not done so already, contact AMSA’s Managing Director of Government and Public Affairs, Adam Krantz, at 202/833-4651 or akrantz@amsa-cleanwater.org.

AMSA Files Brief Rebutting Activist Position on TMDLs, Weighs in on Stormwater
AMSA filed an amicus brief today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia case, Friends of the Earth (FOE) v. EPA, asserting that FOE’s position that total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids can only be expressed as "daily" limitations conflicts with federal Clean Water Act programs for municipal stormwater and combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The brief was filed jointly by AMSA and the CSO Partnership on behalf of AMSA member, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, and highlights that FOE's argument is inconsistent with twenty years of program implementation by EPA and delegated states nationwide and would undermine TMDLs that have already been developed for various pollutants.

AMSA also filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio case, City of Cincinnati v. U.S., supporting Cincinnati in a stormwater fee dispute with the U.S. Government, which is refusing to pay over $100,000 in past-due invoices for stormwater services. AMSA's motion, filed jointly with the National League of Cities, the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, and the American Public Works Association, highlights that many cities use similar formula to that of Cincinnati to assess stormwater service charges. Visit AMSA’s Litigation Tracker (http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/littrack/) for more information on these and other AMSA legal initiatives.

  • AMSA’s 2004 Summer Conference, Leading the Way… POTWs Take Environmental Protection Beyond the Pipe, in Denver, Colo., July 20 – 23, is just around the corner so make your plans to attend today. Make sure to reserve your room by the Friday, July 2 deadline! To reserve your hotel accommodations, simply call the Westin Tabor Center at 303/572-9100. Be sure to indicate that you are an AMSA conference registrant to receive the special conference rate of $165 per night (single/double). To register online visit AMSA’s website (http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/meetings/04summer/).
  • AMSA is currently accepting applications for the 2004 Excellence in Management Recognition Program. The program acknowledges AMSA member agencies who have implemented successful programs that address the range of management challenges faced by clean water utilities in today’s competitive environment. The application deadline for the program is August 2, 2004. For more information, see Member Update 04-11 (http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/membership/eim/mu04-11.cfm).