Washington Report

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

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday announced a proposed rule that significantly improves the actions that water systems must take to reduce lead in the nation’s drinking water. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the proposal at an event in Green Bay, Wisconsin. ThisRead More

The Senate Appropriations Committee recently passed a fiscal year 2020 (FY20) Interior & Environment Appropriations bill, which funds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and key clean water programs. The full House previously passed its FY20 Interior & Environment Appropriations bill earlier this summer and now awaits passageRead More

According to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), a House of Representatives subcommittee last week approved a slate of 13 bills related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Among the legislation, bills include measures that would require EPA to issue a drinking water regulationRead More

At an event last month in Albany, N.Y., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Pete Lopez, joined by representatives from the New York Farm Bureau and the Business Council of New York State, announced that EPA and the Department of the Army are repealingRead More

During meetings on Capitol Hill and at EPA in late August, the lead authors of the joint NACWA, American Water Works Association (AWWA) and Water Environment Federation (WEF) report, Developing a New Framework for Household Affordability and Financial Capability Assessment in the Water Sector, provided backgroundRead More

Last week the Senate signed off on a bipartisan, two-year budget deal that lays the groundwork for lawmakers to make progress on FY20 appropriations bills this fall. The budget agreement, which the House of Representatives previously approved, will now be signed into law by PresidentRead More

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