June 25, 2010

As the election season heats up, Federal water issues are increasingly present in the pages of the Federal Register rather than in the halls of Congress.  Regulatory agencies are moving forward with a number of federal water issues that affect ACWA members.  Attached is a summary of federal issues to watch and how to find more information.

In a June 17 press release, the EPA announced plans to propose a revision to the 1989 Total Coliform Rule, “to achieve greater public health protection against waterborne pathogens in the distribution systems of public water systems.”

ACWA, along with a number of other water advocacy organizations in Washington, D.C., wrote a letter to the U.S. Senate on June 22 urging the inclusion of water infrastructure adaptation language in climate change and energy legislation.

“Communities are on the front lines when it comes to climate change,” the letter says, “Rising temperatures will cause more frequent and extreme storms and drought, declining snowpack, more intense heat waves, and a number of other impacts.

On June 22, top Republican leaders on the House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Small Business Committees wrote to their Democratic counterparts and the Chairman of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee requesting hearings and public input opportunities on legislation that seeks to redefine waters of the U.S. The Republican leaders, Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), and Sam Graves (R-Mo.), want hearings on the legislation before it reaches the House Floor.

On June 24, the EPA held a two-hour public meeting via webcast to discuss various aspects of the Draft NPDES Pesticides General Permit (PGP).  The draft PGP was published on June 4 and the EPA is accepting public comments on its content through July 19.

The Senate Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health held a hearing June 17 on the state of the Superfund environmental cleanup program.  The hearing coincided with the release of a General Accounting Office (GAO) report that supports legislation to revive a corporate tax to help pay for restoration of Superfund sites.

On Thursday, June 17, the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water and Power held a hearing on H.R. 5487, the Water Resources Research Amendments Act of 2010.

The bill, submitted by Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Santa Fe Springs), would amend the Water Resources Research Act of 1984.  The original act