Guest Columns

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works R.D. James last week announced a new, clear definition for “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule.  According to EPA and the Department ofRead More

By Diane VanDe Hei The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October released its long-awaited proposal for the revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The proposal includes many far-reaching provisions that, if put into law, will have a lasting impact on how water utilities inRead More

DC Water announced in November that Marc Battle will serve as its general council and executive vice president for legal affairs. The announcement followed a rigorous national search overseen by the DC Water Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to have Marc and his expertiseRead More

In an important legislative achievement for clean water, House and Senate negotiators released their compromise Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) earlier this week and excluded the most problematic PFAS provisions. The full report and summary are viewable online. Significantly for the clean water sector, the final package doesRead More

The National Association of Water Companies applauded a bill (S. 2942) introduced last week by U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that certain contributions are treated as non-taxable contributions to capital. The legislation aimsRead More

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is inviting a total of 38 projects in 18 states to apply for Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans. Together, the selected borrowers will apply for WIFIA loans totaling approximately $6 billion toRead More

U.S. Reps. Harley Rouda (D-Calif.) and Brian Babin (R-Texas) have introduced H.R. 4687, the Sustainable Municipal Access to Resilient Technology in Infrastructure (SMART Infrastructure) Act, along with Reps. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.). The SMART Infrastructure Act supports innovation and open competition in procurement,Read More

Recently, U.S. Sens. Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Braun (R-Ind.) introduced the bipartisan Voluntary Water Partnerships for Distressed Communities Act to encourage utilities struggling with water quality issues to seek help from other water systems. Many community water systems, especially small utilities, struggle to stay in compliance withRead More

By Stanley A. Millan & Elise M. Henry The battle over how to define federal waters began in the early 1970s and continues today. As a result of changing policy and legal uncertainly, it is a challenge for anyone to determine what qualifies as aRead More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced its proposed revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule, which addresses lead in drinking water. David LaFrance, CEO of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), issued the following statement: The American Water Works Association (AWWA) is committed toRead More