Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - October 31, 2003
Click Here
to see previous Fax Alerts
October 31, 2003
EPA’s Blending Guidance Expected To Be Released Next Week
AMSA has learned that EPA will likely release its draft guidance on blending early next week, after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has finished its review. AMSA has worked closely with EPA to ensure that the guidance language will be favorable to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). Once EPA officially releases the guidance, AMSA will draft a press release for use by public agency members and will seek member comments on the guidance via a Regulatory Alert to aid the Association’s own comment effort. AMSA will continue to keep the membership updated of the status of the blending guidance through future Updates and Alerts.Senate Highway Bill To Explicitly Make Stormwater Projects Eligible for Funding
In a markup expected to occur the week of November 10, 2003, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee’s highway funding bill — the Safe, Affordable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003 (S. 1072) — will contain a bipartisan provision making explicit the fact that states can use these funds for stormwater projects. AMSA has urged Congress to clearly codify this key eligibility, which previously was implied in other bill provisions. It is important to note, however, that these funds would go to states to spend on stormwater projects, not directly to municipalities though municipalities would benefit from this funding. Although this provision is an important first step, AMSA continues to urge members to weigh in with their Senators and Representatives in support of targeted funding for stormwater projects in the highway bill. For more information please visit AMSA’s Legislative Bill Tracker at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/legupdate/leg_tracker.cfm.AMSA Members Quoted in USA Today Story, Add Balance to CBS Biosolids Spot
The nation’s water infrastructure funding shortfall continues to gain national press coverage as AMSA and several of its members were quoted in an October 27 USA Today story on the country’s wastewater infrastructure funding gap. Prominently displayed on page 3 of the newspaper, the article outlines the growing clean water funding shortfall across the country with a focus on aging combined sewer systems. William Schatz, AMSA Vice President and General Counsel for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cleveland, Ohio, stated that “without any type of other source of funding, we’re projecting a doubling of sewer rates over the next 10 years.” The Narragansett Bay Commission, Providence, R.I.’s spokesperson, Jamie Samons, was also quoted, noting that “I think we’re at a real turning point in terms of how we’re going to set the priorities and how we’re going to fund them.” AMSA encourages members to share the article with local media contacts and elected/appointed officials to demonstrate the funding challenge that the nation’s treatment works face. The article is at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/news/102603.cfm.CBS’s Evening News with Dan Rather also ran a story this week delving into the issue of land-applied biosolids and their alleged effects on human health. AMSA and other stakeholders worked with CBS producers to ensure that the voice of POTWs was included in the story, resulting in the story’s inclusion of an interview with William Toffey, Manager of the Philadelphia Water Department, Pa. — an AMSA member. Toffey was quoted as saying, “[w]e have not known of any situation where disease has been transmitted in biosolids.” AMSA supports EPA’s Part 503 program for biosolids and the Agency’s continued commitment to improve this program as noted in last week’s FaxAlert (10/24/03). The CBS story transcript is available at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/29/eveningnews/main580816.shtml.
- The hotel deadline for the 2003 AMSA/EPA Pretreatment Coordinators Workshop ends today so make sure to take advantage of the $155 single/double room rate. To reserve your room, please call the Renaissance Madison Hotel at 800/278-4159 and indicate that you are a registrant for the Workshop.