In August, Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) re-introduced bipartisan legislation, S.3358, the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2018, which would modify the tax code to remove state volume caps on the issuances of government private activity bonds (PABs) used by water and wastewater systems for infrastructure investment.Read More

The Utility of the Future Today initiative is recognizing 32 water utilities for transformational work in community engagement, watershed stewardship and recovery of resources such as water, energy and nutrients. The Utility of the Future Today recognition celebrates the achievements of water utilities that transform from the traditional wastewater treatment system toRead More

The U.S. Senate has passed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 on an 86-11 vote. The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the Farm Bill – as it is commonly referred to – for five years. The measure includes provisions that would extend programs that protect drinking water sources from farm runoff and offer assistanceRead More

The American Water Works Association is applauding the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee for introducing a bipartisan Farm Bill that recognizes the importance of protecting drinking water sources from nutrient runoff. AWWA singled out Chairman Pat Roberts, Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, and Sen. Sherrod Brown for their commitment to protecting sourceRead More

On June 6-7 in Chicago, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies will host Strategic Communications: H2O (StratComm), an event geared toward engaging public utility officials on best practices in ratepayer communication, public relations and outreach.  The purpose of StratComm is to help clean water utilities innovate — or create — communications platforms thatRead More

  The Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee introduced its 2018 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) last week, called “America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018.” WRDA authorizes individual U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) water resources projects and is considered a “must-pass” bill every two years. While this USACERead More

Last week, water sector organizations joined a broad coalition of stakeholders asking members of Congress to support legislation to reinstate the ability of communities to issue tax-free advance refunded bonds, several months after the new tax reform bill eliminated this cost-saving option. Water groups participating in the coalition’s efforts includeRead More

By Kristina Surfus The past year has been both an exciting and frustrating time for following federal clean water initiatives. This is particularly true for advocates of a strong federal funding partnership for clean water, like the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). The 2016 election season, which placedRead More

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) has released a new resource that addresses the crucial intricacies of stormwater permitting: The MS4 Stormwater Permitting Guide. As MS4 permits become more complex with each iteration, the Guide will serve as a tool for utility and stormwater professionals either navigating the permitting process forRead More

In March, Democrats in the Senate released a $1 trillion plan to invest in America’s infrastructure — a plan in which the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) says clean water occupies a well-deserved front-and-center position in the infrastructure conversation. Specifically, the plan would provide $115 billion in federalRead More