March 2004 Board Briefs

AMSA Board Briefs March 3, 2004

March 3, 2004

Strategic Planning Initiative Proceeds
AMSA’s Strategic Planning Initiative proceeded this week with the distribution (please see March 1 e-mail correspondence) of a Draft Strategic Plan that chronicles the results of our early February Strategic Planning Session. All participants in the February session are asked to review the plan and provide comments to our facilitator, Paul Meyer, no later than Friday, March 12.

The process continues with a Strategic Program Analysis when, on March 10, National Office Staff will be joined by Buddy Morgan and Bill Schatz to conduct this next step in the Strategic Planning Initiative. During the Strategic Program Analysis, current programs, services and activities will be assessed based on two sets of criteria: 1) Program Attractiveness (the degree to which the program, service, or activity is attractive to AMSA as a basis for current and future resource deployment) and 2) Competitive Position (the degree to which AMSA is in a strong position to support the program). We have identified nine key AMSA programs and initiatives to analyze through this process.

Board Members will be provided with the results of both the comments on the Draft Strategic Plan and our Strategic Program Analysis prior to the next leadership meeting on the Strategic Planning Initiative – Friday, May 21, 2004 in Washington, DC. Association members will also learn more about the initiative through upcoming Clean Water News articles and a dedicated section of AMSA’s web site that will include an overview of the process, as well as the final reports resulting from the qualitative and quantitative surveys.

New Controller to Join AMSA Staff
Meredith Ristic has accepted our offer to be AMSA's new Controller. Meredith comes to us from the Water Environment Federation (WEF) where she has served since 2000 as their Grants Manager/Assistant Controller. Prior to joining the WEF staff she served as the Water Environment Research Foundation’s (WERF) Controller from 1996-2000. She has both extensive Solomon experience (AMSA’s financial management system software), as well as significant experience managing federal grant funds. Meredith comes to us highly recommended by both WEF and WERF staff and leadership, and will begin work at AMSA on March 22, 2004.

Board to See 5 New Members
As we look toward the May Annual Meeting, AMSA can anticipate the service of five new members on its Board of Directors. Currently, one seat in Region II (due to the retirement of Bob Davenport); two seats in Region III will be open (due to the term of office expiring for Kumar Kishinchand and Jim Canaday); one seat in Region VI (due to Dave Brosman’s resignation from the Board); and, one in Region IX (due to Steve Hayashi’s retirement). Three other seats, those held by Marian Orfeo in Region I, Buddy Morgan in Region IV, and Jack Farnan in Region V are eligible for re-election. AMSA will soon solicit nominees from each region with an open seat.

AMSA Proposes WIN Focus on Clean Water Trust Fund
AMSA has proposed that the Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) support introduction of a clean water trust fund bill as its primary goal for 2004 – 2005. Discussions were initiated February 27 and organizations are expected to indicate whether they can support the suggestion at a mid-March meeting. The trust fund concept has gained more attention and support recently with the release of AMSA’s 2004 poll and survey on a clean water trust fund by Frank Luntz in addition to NRDC’s call for a new trust fund in a recently released report entitled, Swimming in Sewage. AMSA was encouraged that a majority of the WIN members were supportive of taking the coalition in a new direction.

At last Friday's meeting of the Water Infrastructure Network, AMSA made a proposal to members that the Water Infrastructure Network (WIN) coalition redirect its efforts, time, money and energy toward legislation that would create a national clean water trust fund. The Association feels strongly that a shift in focus is needed to realign WIN's activities with the changing budget realities and political climate in Washington.

Since the 108th Congress convened in January 2003, it has become increasingly clear that while Congress and federal officials understand WIN's message and the need for critical funding, the current wartime budget and federal deficit have made the general revenue fund a highly improbable source of appropriations to fund any authorizing legislation. AMSA has asked WIN coalition members to actively and enthusiastically lend their unqualified support to the legislative goal of a clean water trust fund. An invitation has gone out to WIN coalition members who can, without qualification, support the development of clean water trust fund legislation – and an accompanying strategy for passage – to attend a meeting on Friday, March 19. AMSA Board Members will be kept apprised as new developments occur.

AMSA Task Force to Proceed with Meetings
The AMSA Wastewater Infrastructure Funding Task Force has approved proceeding with two facilitated meetings in 2004 that will bring together representatives of diverse groups to gain new support for a clean water trust fund. The first meeting will be among representatives of watershed, environmental, conservation, and fishing groups and is planned for late April. In light of their interest in the trust fund concept (as expressed in the report, Swimming in Sewage: The Growing Problem of Sewage Pollution and How the Bush Administration Is Putting Our Health and Environment at Risk) the Natural Resources Defense Council is anticipated to play a prominent role. A second meeting, including representatives from business, industry, chambers of commerce and others is expected to be convened in June. AMSA anticipates that the facilitated sessions will result in specific legislative trust fund principles that can be supported by meeting participants.

Priority Research Projects Identified for WERF
The National Office is collecting research project ideas from the membership in order to provide the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) with a list of recommendations for consideration as WERF sets its research agenda for the next year. The Regulatory Policy Committee will review the list of project ideas and be asked to identify the priority projects for WERF consideration. The list of projects will be presented to WERF in advance of its joint Research Council and Subscriber Meeting on March 18-19, 2004 in Phoenix, Arizona. This meeting is designed to provide subscribers with more input into the agenda setting process and represents a unique opportunity for the wastewater community to influence the direction of WERF’s future research activities. The National Office is encouraging members who are also WERF subscribers to consider attending the meeting and Chris Hornback will attend the on behalf of the National Office.

Changing Workforce Publication Set for Release
The Changing Workforce… Crisis and Opportunity Workforce, a publication collabor-atively developed by AMSA and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), is slated for release in mid-March. The publication, which was the focus of a featured presentation at AMSA’s 2004 Winter Conference, benefited significantly from the review and comment of a project workgroup comprised of AMSA and AMWA member agency representatives. All AMSA member agencies will receive a complimentary copy of the new publication. Additional copies can be purchased at the “pre-release” price of $30 each by visiting AMSA’s online bookstore, http://www.amsa-cleanwater.org/pubs/publist.cfm.

Policy Forum Plans Underway
AMSA’s 2004 National Environmental Policy Forum & 34th Annual Meeting, Politics, Policy & POTWs, will be held May 22 - 26 at the Washington Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC. The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has been invited to provide the conference Keynote Address. A number of informative roundtable discussions are in development, including a discussion inviting members of the activist community to discuss and defend the perspectives expressed in both the Swimming in Sewage report and Eliminating Hometown Hazards: Cutting Chemical Risks at Wastewater Treatment Facilities.

A preliminary conference program, hotel information and a registration form will be distributed to AMSA members later this month. For the latest program information, and online registration, visit AMSA’s website, www.amsa-cleanwater.org/meetings/04nepf/.

2004 National Environmental Achievement Award Honorees Selected
The Awards Committee met during the 2004 Winter Conference in Los Angeles, Calif., to review the many nominations and select the honorees for the 2004 National Environmental Achievement Awards in both the Individual and Member Agency categories. AMSA’s 2004 National Environmental Achievement Award winners will be honored during an evening reception and awards luncheon ceremony to be held at our upcoming National Environmental Policy Forum & 34th Annual Meeting, May 22-26, 2004 in Washington, DC. A complete list of the honorees selected follows.

Individual Awards
Public Service
Federal
The Honorable Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
U.S. Senate

The Honorable John Warner (R-VA)
U.S. Senate

State
The Honorable Robert Ehrlich, Jr. (R-MD)
Governor, State of Maryland

Local (service area population greater than 250,000)
The Honorable Shirley Franklin
Mayor, City of Atlanta, GA

The Honorable Anthony Williams
Mayor, City of Washington, DC

Local (service area population less than 250,000)
Jane Rebhuhn
Commissioner, Great Neck Water Pollution Control District, NY

Distinguished Performance
Harold Gorman
Former Executive Director, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, LA

Stephen Hayashi
Former General Manager, Union Sanitary District, CA

Environment
G. Tracy Mehan, III
Former Assistant Administrator, Office of Water
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, DC

Paul Pinault
Executive Director, Narragansett Bay Commission, RI

President’s
Ralph L. Charlton
Director of Fiscal Services, Alexandria Sanitation Authority, VA

Marian Orfeo
Director of Planning & Coordination, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, MA

Larry N. Patterson
Chief Engineer, Upper Trinity Regional Water District, TX

David R. Williams
Director of Wastewater, East Bay Municipal Utility District, CA

Special Recognition
John M. Walker, Ph.D.
Former Senior Physical Scientist & Leader of Biosolids Program Implementation Team, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, DC

Member Agency Awards
Research and Technology
City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Sanitation, CA
It Couldn’t Get Better: Better Public Health Protection at a Lower Cost

City of Tacoma Environmental Services, WA
TAGRO Potting Soil and Mulch

Operations
City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, CA
Low Flow Diversion

Public Information and Education
Video
City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Sanitation, CA
“Where Does It Go?”

Printed Publication
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, MA
The State of Boston Harbor Report

Butler County Department of Environmental Services, OH
Upper Mill Creek Informational Brochure & CD

Educational Program
Sanitation District No. 1, KY
Environmental Unit Guide: Fourth Grade Water Quality Curriculum

Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners, NJ
Pollution Prevention Educational Outreach Program/Messy Marvin

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities, NC
Blue Planet Water Environmental Center

E-Media
King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks, WA
Brightwater Project Web Site