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Member Pipeline - Legislative - Update (February 2001)

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To: Members, Affiliates & Legal Affairs Committee
From: National Office
Date: February 2001

The National Office is pleased to provide you with the February 2001 Legislative Update. The update will provide you with a brief summary of recent Capitol Hill events current to March 7, 2001. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the National Office.

 

Water Infrastructure
The Water Infrastructure Network's (WIN) second report, Water Infrastructure Now: Recommendations for Clean and Safe Water in the 21st Century (WINow), has been favorably received by Senators and Congressmen on both sides of the aisle since its February 13 release. AMSA staff have been making almost-daily presentations and briefings to congressional committee staff, individual Members of Congress, other associations, EPA advisory committees, and Bush administration officials. The report has proved so popular that it is already in its second printing.

The new chairmen and ranking members of the two House subcommittees with jurisdiction over wastewater and water infrastructure funding have agreed to be co-chairs of the House Water Infrastructure Caucus (WIC). Rep. John Duncan, Jr. (TN) is the new chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment, with Peter DeFazio (OR) serving as Ranking Member. Over in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Paul Gillmor (OH) is the new chairman of the reorganized Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials. Frank Pallone, Jr (NJ) is the Ranking Member. Membership in the WIC, which grew to over eighty members last year, is expected to grow significantly after the co-chairs send a 'Dear Colleague' letter to their fellow House members urging them to join the WIC. Also, AMSA members are urged to contact their Representatives by e-mail, phone, or letter and ask them to join the caucus.

Hearings on water infrastructure funding are expected to get underway in late March in the House and are likely to be followed by at least four hearings in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. AMSA expects that several of its member POTWs will provide testimony to the relevant committees before the end of the summer. To date, all 535 Members of Congress have received a copy of the WINow report. AMSA also has sent each Member a copy of the January 31, 2001 resolution on water infrastructure funding that was adopted unanimously by AMSA's membership at the Winter Conference.   Look for a copy of the AMSA resolution, the WINow report, and a list of WIC members on AMSA's website.  Next month...WIN will get a web site of it's own!

 

New Committee Assignments
Many of the Congressional Committees have already appointed key members and filled opened seats. Below is list of Committee and Subcommittee leadership in which AMSA has a vested interest.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Committee
        Subcommittee

Chair

Ranking Member
Appropriations C.W. Bill Young (R-FL) David Obey (D-WI)
       VA, HUD & Independent Agencies James Walsh (R-NY) Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Energy & Commerce W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-LA) John Dingell (D-MI)
       Environment & Hazardous Materials Paul Gillmor (R-OH) Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
Science Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) Ralph Hall (D-TX)
Transportation & Infrastructure Don Young (R-AK) James Oberstar (D-MN)
       Water Resources & Environment John Duncan (R-TN) Peter DeFazio (D-OR)

 

U.S. SENATE

Committee
       Subcommittee

Chair

Ranking Member
Appropriations Ted Stevens (R-AK) Robert Byrd (D-WV)
       VA, HUD & Independent Agencies Christopher Bond (R-MO) Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Environment & Public Works Robert Smith (R-NH) Harry Reid (D-NV)
       Fisheries, Wildlife & Water Michael Crapo (R-ID) Bob Graham (D-FL)
       Superfund, Waste Control & Risk Assessment Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
       Transportation & Infrastructure James Inhofe (R-OK) Max Baucus (D-MT)

 

Senate Votes to Overturn Ergonomics Rule
On March 7, using the 1996 law (PL 104-121) which allows Congress to overturn federal rules within 60 days of their publication, Congress voted to overturn federal rules designed to prevent repetitive stress injuries at work. The House and Senate resolutions erased the ergonomics rules approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at the end of last year. The rules, which would require employers such as POTWs with worker reported musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis and back injuries, to develop ergonomics programs and preventative measures within 18 months of its October 14, 2001 implementation date. Some Democrats say that using the 1996 law to repeal the ergonomics rules would preclude OSHA from again attempting to regulate ergonomics.

 

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) Introduces Bill to Reduce Mercury
On February 15, 2001, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a bill, Mercury Reduction and Disposal Act of 2001 (S.351) co-sponsored by John Kerry (D-MA), to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to reduce mercury in the environment. The bill:

  • Prohibits the sale or supply of mercury fever thermometers except by prescription beginning 180 days after the enactment of the bill;
  • Establishes a grant program for thermometer exchange programs, with EPA designated as the responsible party for managing the mercury collected from the exchange programs in a manner that ensures the mercury collected will not be released into the environment or reintroduced into commerce;
  • Creates the Interagency Task Force on Mercury, comprised of the EPA Administrator, the Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and members appointed by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy, and the President from the Environmental Council of States;
  • Stipulates that within one year of its first meeting, the Task Force must submit a report to Congress containing recommendations on the long-term management and retirement of mercury from thermometers, medical and commercial sources, and government sources; collection of mercury from industry; programs to test mercury sequestration technologies; storage of mercury to ensure no environmental releases; reduction of the total threat of mercury to human health and the environment; and reduction of the total quantity of mercury produced, used and released on a global basis;
  • Authorizes an appropriation of $20 million to implement the legislation.

AMSA’s Mercury Workgroup has reviewed the legislation and is currently preparing to send a letter of support for the bill. The letter will outline the work AMSA has done regarding mercury, and make a number of recommendations regarding the bill including: 1) suggest that the Task Force also look at environmental compliance issues and the need for a reasonable national strategy; 2) recommend that an eighth member be added to the Task Force to represent the interests of POTWs; 3) expand the grant program to include programs to help get mercury out of schools, and 4) provide additional funding as necessary to accommodate these added tasks. After the letter is submitted, AMSA plans to meet with both Senator Collins and Senator Kerry’s offices.

House and Senate Introduce Legislation to Reauthorize SRF at $3 Billion Per Year

On February 14, 2001 Congresswoman Sue Kelly (R-NY) and 15 cosponsors introduced a bill (HR 668) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and reauthorize the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program for five years at a funding level of $3 billion a year. The legislation would also expand the type of projects eligible for CWSRF funding, extend the loan repayment period for disadvantaged communities from 20 years to 40 years, and would allow principal subsidization for up to 30 percent of the amount of the capitalization grant received by a state in a fiscal year. On February 6, Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) introduced mirror legislation in the Senate, titled the Clean Water Infrastructure Financing Act.

 

Bush Plans $7.3 Million for EPA’s 2002 Budget
President Bush provided a broad outline of his 2002 budget in his televised February 28 address to Congress. Under the proposal, EPA would receive $7.3 billion in FY 2002.Wastewater grants to states would be funded at $1.3 billion – $500 million more than the prior administration. The SRF will be funded "consistent with EPA’s long-standing $2 billion per year revolving fund goal." Some SRF funds will be used for the new authorized sewer overflow control grants created by the Wet Weather Water Quality Act, which AMSA worked to pass in the 106th Congress. More details on funding levels for specific EPA programs will be released in April. The National Office will monitor the budget’s progress in Congress and continue our advocacy on behalf of AMSA member interests.

 

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