Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - July 12, 2002
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July 12, 2002
AMSA to Release Vulnerability Assessment Software July 23
AMSA will release its much-anticipated Vulnerability Self Assessment Tool (VSAT™) for wastewater utilities on July 23. The software — VSAT™wastewater — will be made available free of charge to all public wastewater utilities, and will be mailed directly to AMSA public agency members upon release. VSAT™ Web Conference Training Workshops are scheduled for August 14 from 12:30 - 4:30 pm (Eastern) and August 20 from 9:00–1:00 pm (Eastern). Also, after July 23 information will be available to software users at www.VSATusers.net, including technical support, software upgrades for downloading, and a webpage devoted to frequently asked questions about VSAT™. AMSA is also currently in the discussion phase with EPA to develop VSAT™ software for joint public drinking water-wastewater agencies and for small and medium sized drinking water agencies, which will help to further secure the water/wastewater critical infrastructure sector. AMSA will distribute further Updates and Alerts on the VSAT™ software and upcoming training workshops.
House Democratic Leaders Seek Floor Vote on H.R. 3930
A group of leading House Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO), sent a July 8 letter urging Majority Leader, Richard Armey (R-TX) and the Republican Majority to allow key legislation, including the Water Quality Financing Act of 2002 (H.R. 3930), to move to the floor despite a dispute over prevailing wage provisions (the Davis-Bacon Act). The letter states that H.R. 3930, which would authorize $20 billion over the next five years for the clean water state revolving fund, “would create hundreds of thousands of family wage jobs and make major improvements in our Nation’s quality of life.” H.R. 3930 has garnered broad bipartisan support, and AMSA is working to garner further support for the bill in order to move it for a vote on the House floor this session. The letter is at http://www.win-water.org/Armey-HSR07-08.pdf.AMSA also signed a July 10 letter from key state and municipal organizations to all Senators, opposing provisions in the Senate’s Water Investment Act (S.1961). As the letter points out, “If the bill, as reported out by the Environment and Public Works Committee, becomes law, the success of the SRF programs will be seriously jeopardized. S. 1961 imposes too many new mandates on states and local governments, federalizes state and local wastewater and drinking water decision making, creates insurmountable barriers to the SRF for communities most in need of low cost loans.” AMSA is working with key Senate staff to ensure that these changes are included in any final version of S.1961. The letter is at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/071202letter.pdf.
DC Court Gives Green Light to AMSA in Pivotal TMDL Case
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted AMSA and the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority's motions to file a joint amicus brief in a key total maximum daily load (TMDL) lawsuit. Activists are asserting in this suit that TMDLs can be expressed only in daily load form and are pursuing this narrow definition in similar cases nationwide. If their interpretation prevails, unfavorable precedent would be set for POTWs affecting their ability to meet TMDLs for many pollutants. AMSA’s position is that TMDLs have been and should be construed more broadly, to include monthly, seasonal and annual loads, which are essential for POTWs to serve new and growing populations. For more information on this lawsuit, contact AMSA’s General Counsel, Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, at 202/833-2672 or at adunn@amsa-cleanwater.org.
AMSA wishes all of you traveling to Portland for our Summer Conference an easy, safe trip!