Washington Report

Biden EPA expands wastewater services pilot to assist underserved communities

Biden EPA expands wastewater services pilot to assist underserved communities

Washington Report, Water Finance February 15, 2024 at 12:13 pm

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the expansion of its successful Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap Community Initiative to 150 additional communities as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. Originally launched in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the initiative partnersRead More

Assistant Administrator for Water Fox to depart EPA

Assistant Administrator for Water Fox to depart EPA

Washington Report January 11, 2024 at 12:00 pm

After serving three years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Radhika Fox announced she will depart the agency at the end of February 2024. Appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2021,Read More

A shot of the Sacramento River near Redding, Calif., just north of Red Bluff where the river came within a foot of its highest recorded level this past winter.

Bureau of Reclamation invests in reuse, desal projects

Washington Report, Water Finance November 9, 2023 at 9:35 am

The Bureau of Reclamation recently announced the selection of 31 planning projects to receive more than $28 million in appropriated funding to support potential new water reuse and desalination projects. The 31 projects are in California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. The projectsRead More

House passes EPA spending bill that would reduce SRFs

House passes EPA spending bill that would reduce SRFs

Public Utility Finance, Washington Report, Water Finance November 6, 2023 at 10:19 am

The U.S. House of Representatives recently approved an appropriations bill that would reduce total funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and some of the agency’s key funding programs, although the measure is unlikely to get very far. The measure would reduce EPA’s fundingRead More

AMWA, other sector orgs support continued LIHWAP funding

AMWA, other sector orgs support continued LIHWAP funding

Rates & Affordability, Washington Report, Water Finance October 19, 2023 at 10:24 am

The Association of Metropolitan of Water Agencies (AMWA) recently joined more than 150 national, state and local organizations in writing to congressional leaders to express strong support for continued funding for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) at Department of Health and Human Services inRead More

EPA announces $20 million in grants to help bolster water workforce

EPA announces $20 million in grants to help bolster water workforce

Washington Report October 9, 2023 at 7:05 am

The Biden-Harris administration is announcing the availability of more than $20 million in grant funding to support training and career opportunities for water and wastewater workers through the U.S. EPA’s Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Grant program. Frontline workers at water and wastewater treatment utilitiesRead More

EPA finalizes rule to require PFAS reporting

EPA finalizes rule to require PFAS reporting

Washington Report October 4, 2023 at 12:33 pm

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule in September that it said will provide the agency, its partners and the public with the largest-ever dataset of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) manufactured and used in the United States. The agency said rule buildsRead More

Commentary: Now is the time to amend WIFIA

Commentary: Now is the time to amend WIFIA

By John Ryan Congress certainly looks like an exciting place this fall, with plenty of political fireworks and intense drama over spending. But there’s no doubt legislators and their constituents will also want to see progress on some basic things that are clearly beneficial, aren’tRead More

EPA Headquarters building at the Federal Triangle in Washington, DC.

WOTUS amended to conform to Supreme Court decision

Legal Corner, Washington Report September 11, 2023 at 10:45 am

In late August, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army (the agencies) announced a final rule to amend the definition of “waters of the United States” to conform with the recent Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA. The agenciesRead More

Water sector reiterates call to fully fund SRFs in 2024

Water sector reiterates call to fully fund SRFs in 2024

Washington Report, Water Finance September 5, 2023 at 7:45 am

In August, 18 water sector organizations including those representing U.S. utility systems, wrote to Congress to reiterate support for funding the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) to the maximum authorization in federal law, $3 billion each, for fiscal year 2024. InRead More