Clean Water Current Archive

In recent weeks, the White House has begun rolling out program guidance regarding implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure bill for individual infrastructure sectors. The Biden Administration is planning a public webinar series to walk through each agency and sector’s guidance after its release.

EPA released a new draft of its revised Financial Capability Assessment (FCA) Guidance February 16, ahead of a Federal Register notice that will be published in the coming days formally announcing a 60-day public comment period.

NACWA sent a letter to the EPA Office of Water on Feb. 16 further outlining clean water agency priorities related to implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

The U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina recently approved a settlement agreement between NACWA member Charleston Water System (CWS) and major U.S. wipes manufacturer Kimberly-Clark.

The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee held a legislative hearing Feb. 15 to consider H.R. 2021, the Environmental Justice For All Act.

The NACWA Legal Affairs Committee and Stormwater Management Committee will be jointly hosting a webinar focusing on the definition of "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) next Tuesday, February 22nd from 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. (Eastern).

After two years of virtual events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Water Week 2022 (April 24 – April 30) returns to an in-person format this year in Washington, DC. The cornerstone event, the National Policy Fly-In, is set for Wednesday, April 27th and will be hosted by NACWA, the Water Environment Federation (WEF), the Water Research Foundation (WRF), and the WaterReuse Association.

In comments submitted February 7, NACWA weighed in once again on the latest iteration of EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) proposed rulemaking to establish a “durable” Waters of the United States (WOTUS) definition. ​

EPA recently announced the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Initiative – Water and Wastewater Sector Action Plan to help improve water utility cybersecurity. The Action Plan is part of President Biden’s Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Initiative, established in the National Security Memorandum on Improving Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure Control Systems. Similar plans were implemented last year for the electrical and natural gas sectors.

The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed H.R. 4521, the America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength (COMPETES) Act of 2022, which is a comprehensive bill designed to help drive research and innovation to improve American global competitiveness and supply chain constraints in the fields of science and technology.

The White House released a guidebook earlier this week to help state and local government officials understand the billions of dollars that will be made available for numerous programs under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the bipartisan infrastructure package that was signed into law in November 2021.

Bipartisan legislation, led by Representative Lisa McClain (MI-10-R) and Alan Lowenthal (CA-47-D), was introduced today in the U.S. House of Representative to establish standards for the flushability of disposable nonwoven products – commonly known as wet wipes.

NACWA has been engaged in recent weeks with other water sector organizations in advocacy around the Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements that were signed into law as part of the recent bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Ac (IIJA).

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation aimed at centralizing the federal government’s role in climate resilience planning and oversight. ​

The NACWA Board of Directors met in-person and via Zoom this week as part of NACWA’s 2022 Winter Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. ​

Nearly 200 people gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona this week for NACWA’s 2022 Winter Conference. Participants followed strict COVID-19 protocols for safety and health but still enjoyed reconnecting with one another at NACWA’s first annual conference since the start of the pandemic.

NACWA sent a letter to Congressional Leadership and key committees of jurisdiction Jan. 21. urging that clean water remain a key component of the Build Back Better (BBB) Act, also known as the reconciliation package, as negotiations resume.

NACWA this week joined the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) on an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the ongoing litigation over EPA’s regulation of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act (CAA). EEI represents U.S. investor-owned electric utilities.

NACWA utility representatives, along with representatives from the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA), met with EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management on January 25 to discuss cybersecurity at clean water utilities.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week granted review in litigation over the scope of federal Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction over “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) in the case of Sackett v. EPA.