Guest Columns

U.S. House Representatives Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) and Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) — co-chairs of the bipartisan House Municipal Finance Caucus — introduced The Investing in Our Communities Act (H.R. 2772) in May, which would amend the federal tax code to reinstate the option for a single advance refundingRead More

The House Appropriations Committee passed its Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Interior & Environment Appropriations bill in May, which funds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and included a significant increase for key EPA programs. This occurred on the same day President Trump broke off discussionsRead More

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) testified recently before the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change about approaches to addressing PFAS in drinking water. Tracy Mehan, executive director of government affairs, spoke on behalf of AWWA, the non-profit organization whose 51,000 members represent waterRead More

President Donald J. Trump, along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), met last week to discuss the possibility of a bipartisan infrastructure deal. The two sides reportedly reached an agreement on the outline of a $2 trillion infrastructureRead More

President Donald Trump and Congressional leaders are expected to circle back on talks this week regarding comprehensive infrastructure legislation and the likelihood of passing such a bill in the near future, according to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA). Trump is expected to hostRead More

By David M. Moore The U.S. EPA and Army Corps of Engineers issued the long awaited proposed waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule on Feb. 14, 2019. Settling the WOTUS question is a major priority for the Trump administration. The Proposed Rule has sweeping implications and affectsRead More

By Jason Isakovic Public clean water sewer and stormwater services are an aspect of everyday life that often goes unnoticed by the hundreds of millions of Americans that depend on them. These essential services provide communities throughout the country, both small and large, the ability toRead More

In March, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the availability of funding to provide an estimated $6 billion in Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loans in 2019. “Through WIFIA, we are addressing several of President Trump’s top priorities simultaneously: modernizingRead More

The 2019 National Water Policy Fly-In set a record for attendance and participation in April as more than 320 participants traveled to Washington, D.C. to conduct hundreds of face-to-face meetings with lawmakers and staffers in Congressional offices. The National Water Policy Fly-In was held April 3-4 atRead More

By Andy McCartney Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a two-part series on cash reserves for water utilities. As mentioned in the first article on operating reserves, cash reserves are required to meet the operational, maintenance and capital needs of the utility whileRead More