Washington Report

A coalition of national water sector leaders hosted an informational briefing on Dec. 10 for Congress to highlight the urgency of investing in America’s aging water infrastructure systems and the critical role of the Clean Water and Drinking Water state revolving funds (SRFs). Titled, “StrongRead More

By John Ryan What is happening at EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program? The mysterious issue is not the near-complete cessation of loan closings under Trump 2.0. The reason for that is clearer: the Office of Management and Budget’s pause on federal grantsRead More

On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $6.5 billion in Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) funding for water systems, with an additional $550 million available to states. The agency also announced the approval of five WIFIA new loans.Read More

The director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Infrastructure Finance & Innovation Authority (WIFIA) program Jorianne Jernberg is leaving the agency, according to a colleague. The news was acknowledged in a Nov. 13 LinkedIn post from Tracy Mehan, AWWA’s executive director of governmentRead More

On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposal designed to improve the scope of its perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) reporting regulations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The changes, EPA said, are aimed at making the rules more implementable and toRead More

The National Rural Water Association (NRWA), which supports water and wastewater professionals that serve small and rural communities in the United States, said without additional funding, it will receive a “stop work order” on Nov. 1 for its water Circuit Rider program. “The National RuralRead More

Water sector groups are reacting favorably to the reintroduction of the Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Act. The bipartisan legislation would fund upgrades to drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and make them more resilient against threats ranging from cyberattacks to extreme weather. The billRead More

The Water Coalition Against PFAS, a coalition of drinking water and wastewater sector organizations, is calling on Congress to pass legislation protecting passive receivers of PFAS from litigation after U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin called for new statutory authority in September. The WaterRead More

The House and Senate were unable to resolve their differences over the FY2026 appropriations process and sent the federal government into a partial shutdown on Oct. 1. The House passed a GOP-led funding extension Sept. 19 primarily along party lines. It was a “clean” continuingRead More

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Jessica Kramer as the next assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water. Kramer was first nominated by President Donald Trump in February and had been awaiting confirmation for seven months. Kramer worked in the OfficeRead More