Click Here to see previous Fax Alerts

July 7, 2000

Clinton Administration Accelerates TMDL Rule
In an effort to beat a Republican Congress to the punch, this week President Clinton ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue its controversial total maximum daily loads (TMDL) program revisions before July 13 — a move that would render a recently passed TMDL rider meaningless. The TMDL rider was inserted in a $20-billion emergency appropriations bill late last week (FaxAlert, June 30). The White House responded by ordering the Office of Management & Budget to conclude its review and EPA to issue the rule, according to White House spokesman Jake Siewert. In a July 6 Philadelphia Inquirer story, Siewert confirmed that Clinton ordered the rule's accelerated promulgation. The White House spokesman was quoted as saying, “We're trying to render the rider meaningless. We're trying to finalize the rule, and we're trying to do it as quickly as possible.” EPA Administrator Carol Browner is expected to sign the rule early next week.

Reaction to the news by organizations opposing the TMDL rule was swift. Industry, logging and agriculture advocacy groups in Washington called on their members to swamp White House Chief of Staff John Podesta and Council on Environmental Quality Acting Chair George Frampton with calls opposing the rule.

To counter this vocal opposition, AMSA, Environmental advocacy groups, WEF, AMWA and AWWA delivered letters of support for the TMDL rule's finalization to Podesta, Frampton and Browner. AMSA's letter stated that, “a final TMDL rule would help bring the country closer than it ever has been to repairing the Nation's impaired waters,” and that “the TMDL rule provides an initial framework for attacking the remaining water quality problems on a watershed basis and for allocating pollution control responsibilities according to relative contributions.” AMSA members are also encouraged to contact the White House and EPA to voice support for the rule's finalization.

AMSA's support is further bolstered by recent indications from EPA that the Association's concerns regarding nonpoint source pollution and state implementation plans were addressed. AMSA has maintained close contact with the Agency on TMDL issues throughout the rule's development. It is also important to note that —despite the White House's strategy to obviate the TMDL rider— this is not likely to be the final act in the TMDL saga. Other, more drastic riders are likely to crop up in several pending appropriations bills —including EPA'. This latest move may serve only to further entrench and embitter congressional opposition, and it is almost certain to raise clean water issues on the national agenda for the 2000 presidential race.

National Office Urges AMSA Members to Contact White House
AMSA members are urged to phone or fax the following White House and EPA officals in support of the TMDL rule's finalization: White House Chief of Staff John Podesta Tel: 202/456-6798, Fax: 202/456-1121; Council on Environmental Quality Acting Chair George T. Frampton, Tel: 202/456-6224, Fax: 202/456-2710; and EPA Administrator Carol Browner Tel: 202/564-4700, Fax: 202/507-1450. AMSA memebrs can refer to AMSA's letter of support, which is posted in the Member Pipeline's “What's New” section.

Register for AMSA's Summer TMDL Conference . . . Needless to say, with all the activity surrounding TMDLs, AMSA's upcoming summer conference — TMDLs . . . Obstacles or Opportunities, July 18 - 21 in Louisville, Ky. — promises to be engaging. Assistant Administrator for Water Chuck Fox and other EPA officials have confirmed their attendance, as have a host of legal and technical experts. Today is the deadline to preregister for the conference. Use AMSA's web site, www.amsa-cleanwater.org/mtgs/00july/00july.cfm, or print out registration forms and fax them to the National Office at 202/833-4657. All registrations received after today will be processed on-site.