Member Pipeline - Fax Alerts - December 7, 2001
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December 7, 2001
Key Regulatory Issues Explored,
Mehan Participates in his First AMSA Leadership Strategy Session
EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Water, Tracy Mehan, participated in an informative roundtable session this week during AMSA’s 2001 Leadership Retreat and Strategy Session. Mehan touched on a number of key issues, including an innovative plan for total maximum daily load credit trading that the Agency is developing. Mehan also expressed his intention to meet further with AMSA on the forthcoming proposed sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) rule, and on pretreatment issues. AMSA’s leadership took full advantage of the Leadership session to express their priority concerns to Mehan and other high-level Office of Water officials. The Agency Officials expressed a desire to continue to work with AMSA and its members.Also at the leadership retreat, Robert Fairweather, Deputy Associate Director of the Natural Resources Division of the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) told conference participants that OMB is very receptive to AMSA’s position on the excessive expense and burden of the forthcoming proposed SSO rule. AMSA will be following up soon with OMB on this issue. Fairweather also explained that OMB will be prioritizing security funding for the foreseeable future and that POTWs should remain extremely involved in this debate. Demonstrating its aggressive advocacy on this issue, AMSA’s leadership signed a letter at the conference to all Senators urging their swift passage of the Water Infrastructure Security and Research Development Act (S. 1593). S. 1593 provides $60 million for research into practical technologies that will make wastewater and water utilities more secure. The letter is available at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/12-05-01s1593.pdf. AMSA is also in the final stages of completing the first component of this tool — a vulnerability checklist that will help public wastewater utilities make an initial assessment of their security vulnerabilities. In addition, AMSA is in the final stages of completing a legal issues crisis management checklist that will allow POTWs to consider the gamut of legal issues that must be rethought in the wake of Sept. 11.
AMSA’s Efforts See Water Quality Funding Boost in Farm Bill
Shortly after AMSA’s Board and leadership signed a letter to the Senate early this week seeking an increase in water conservation funds in the Farm Bill (S. 1731), Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) significantly boosted funding for the needed conservation effort. Harkin agreed to increase conservation spending in the Farm Bill to $4.4 billion in average annual spending, up from an estimated $3.6 billion per year. AMSA applauds this increase as a positive step, but continues to support the Reid Amendment that would increase average annual conservation spending in the Farm Bill to roughly $5 billion. AMSA will continue to work with Congress and the administration to ensure that meaningful water quality conservation measures are included in the Farm Bill. AMSA’s letter is at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/private/legreg/outreach/12-04-01farmbill.pdf.
- December 22 is the deadline for AMSA’s 2002 National Environmental Achievement Awards program, offering members a unique opportunity to recognize local, state and federal officials for their contributions to the clean water community. Details on the awards program can be found on AMSA’s web site at http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/membership/awards.cfm.