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March 27, 1998

Board Approves Moving Forward with Biosolids Appropriation. . .
The Board approved the recommendation to use Technical Action Funds in the amount of $12,000 to hire a lobbyist/consultant to help secure the $1 million legislative appropriation to support the National Biosolids Partnership. We have recommended that the services of John Montgomery, an attorney with the Washington, DC firm of Murray, Scheer, Montgomery, Tapia & O'Donnell, be retained to act on our behalf. Following Board approval, AMSA members with Representatives on House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees responsible for EPA appropriations were asked to write their congressional representatives before March 27 to request a $1 million appropriation for the Partnership be included in the 1999 budget for EPA. A major product of the Partnership would be the development of a Code of Management Practices that would have some form of third party verification to facilitate public acceptance of biosolids.

Coming Months to Feature Numerous Workshops/Meetings. . .
AMSA is in the process of moving forward with an aggressive schedule of conferences, workshops and seminars for the remainder of 1998. In addition to our May National Environmental Policy Forum & 28th Annual Meeting, focusing on the Administration's Clean Water Action Initiative -- and our July Summer Conference, Water Quality Criteria & Standards. . .Facing Challenges, Making Choices -- we have recently confirmed arrangements for two additional workshops.

On June 25-26, AMSA will hold a Risk Management Plan Implementation Workshop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The 2-day national workshop is geared to facilitate regulatory compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements to develop a Risk Management Plan (RMP) by June 21, 1999. A model POTW RMP guidance document, jointly developed by AMSA and EPA, will serve as the cornerstone of the workshop. Member Update 98-8 features a description of the workshop and details of the program.

Late in the Summer, AMSA will convene its first Public Affairs Seminar. Planned for August 31 - September 1 in Providence, Rhode Island the seminar hopes to attract both agency public affairs/public information officers and agency heads. The program will include considerable focus on risk communication and public outreach related to reengineering/competitiveness efforts -- topics that track closely with ongoing AMSA initiatives in the regulatory, legislative and management arenas.

Membership Development Campaign Gears Up. . .
In March of 1998, AMSA finds itself with two new member agencies and three new affiliates -- and our membership development has yet to get formally underway! In recent weeks we have refined and updated our list of potential member agencies, requested assistance from AMSA members in lining up our member agencies with Congressional seats, and reached out to the potential member community through workshop mailings and speaking engagements. This week AMSA's Executive Director, Ken Kirk, spoke before an audience of approximately 250 at the 42nd Annual Great Plains Waste Management Conference (sponsored by the Nebraska Water Environment Association and other organizations). His remarks focused on reauthorization of the Clean Water Act -- and carried the message that the success of AMSA's initiatives is dependent on the support of POTWs nationwide. "The issues that we struggle with at EPA and on Capitol Hill affect all municipalities and I urge you to seriously consider membership in the Association. We need representation in every state and every Congressional district to ensure that our voice is heard and our message is received," Ken told the audience.

In early April we will launch an aggressive campaign to engage potential member agencies and encourage their membership in AMSA. Our preparation for this has yielded a list of approximately 850 potential member agencies, with 27 serving populations of more than 300,000. The list of agencies in the 100,000 to 299,999 range numbers 165. A Member Update is planned, in conjunction with the launch of the campaign, to encourage "member to nonmember" outreach, adding yet another element of the personal touch that we believe is critical to our success.

State-Local Clean Water Forum Convenes Second Meeting, Plans Third in April. . .
In mid-March AMSA participated in the year's second meeting of the State/Local Clean Water Forum (see February 27, 1998 Board Briefs for additional background). Discus-sions continue to focus on nonpoint source control with the issue of enforceable mechanisms still the topic of debate. As planned, representatives from the local community prepared a set of recommendations which built upon the discussions at the Forum's initial meeting. Considerable discussion focused on equitable and proportionate control of both point and nonpoint sources, with apparent progress being made with regard to the concept of proportional responsibility. A third meeting is planned for April.

Organizations involved in the Forum include, AMSA, the National Governors' Association, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies. AMSA Board Member Robert P. Miele, head of the Technical Services Department for the County Sanitation Agencies of Los Angeles County, and AMSA Wet Weather Issues Committee Chair Buddy Morgan, general manager of the Montgomery Water Works Board, Ala., represent AMSA in the negotiations.

Human Resources Strategic Plan Underway. . .
The planned review of AMSA's long-term human resource needs is underway. This strategic planning process is taking place in conjunction with the triennial review of position descriptions and salary ranges for National Office personnel. The process will parallel the review of the Association's Strategic Plan, and other governance documents, by the Planning & Bylaws Committee, and is anticipated to result in a staffing plan that complements and supports AMSA's overall Strategic Plan, and its accompanying goals, objectives, and action plan. Preliminary recommendations should be available for Board of Directors review in May.

ASIWPCA Workshops Build on National Meeting, Member Participation Encouraged. . .
Last year, the Association of State & Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency brought together a host of national stakeholder groups, including AMSA, to foster stronger commitments for nonpoint source pollution control at the regional, state and local levels. Due to the complex nature of many nonpoint source problems, remedies are often difficult to identify and implement -- and require the involvement of all stakeholders. For this reason, ASIWPCA, USEPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are sponsoring a series of one day regional stakeholder forums to discuss key nonpoint source control issues. Each will begin with an examination of national issues driving the need to build partnerships. The forums will then turn their attention to major issues of regional concern.

AMSA is encouraging its members to participate in these forums and is forwarding relevant information to members. Forums are planned as follows:

April 30, 1998Atlanta, GA
May 18, 1998Portland, OR
June 2, 1998Kansas City, MO
June 15, 1998Dallas, TX
June 19, 1998Merrimack, NH

AMSA Developing Clean Water Act Amendment Legislation
To address continuing member concerns regarding urban wet weather programs implementation, funding, and state authorities to regulate nonpoint sources of pollution, AMSA has begun development of broad legislative amendments to the Clean Water Act -- the Wet Weather Water Quality Improvement Act of 1998. The amendments will address key issues of concern for AMSA members and will include language that: 1) codifies EPA's combined sewer overflow (CSO) policy; 2) clarifies sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) liabilities; 3) clarifies stormwater program requirements; 4) establishes clear authorities for states to regulate nonpoint sources of pollution; and 5) provides grant funding to municipalities and nonpoint source pollution sources. A workgroup from the Wet Weather Issues Committee is currently crafting specific legislative goals, to be followed by specific legislative language. AMSA expects that development of the proposal will be completed by the end of April.