This Week in Washington is a weekly publication of the Water Environment Federation’s Government Affairs department. It provides updates on the latest legislative and regulatory developments that affect the water and wastewater communities.

November 18, 2005

Congress Enacts Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005
This week, the Senate gave final approval to H.R. 1973, Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, clearing the way for the President’s signature.  The bill, sponsored by Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) with broad bi-partisan support, amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish assistance for programs in developing countries to provide affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation. The bill also directs the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a strategy to further the U.S. foreign assistance objective of providing affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries.  In addition to this bill, the Senate last week gave approval for an additional $200 million of foreign aide to support water and wastewater infrastructure projects in developing countries. (PS)

Senate Passes Rural Water Supply Act
By unanimous consent, the Senate on Thursday passed S.895, the Rural Water Supply Act of 2005, directing the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a rural water supply program in reclamation states to: (1) investigate and identify opportunities to ensure safe and adequate rural water supply projects for municipal and industrial use in small communities and rural areas; and (2) plan the design and construction, through the conduct of appraisal investigations and feasibility studies, of such projects. The legislation would establish a guaranteed loan program within the Department of Interior to help rural western communities finance water infrastructure projects. The legislation was sponsored by Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) and co-sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman (R-NM), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.  It is unclear what action, if any, the House will take on this measure.  While there is no companion bill in the House, Congressman Richard Pombo (R-CA), Chairman of the House Resources Committee, has held hearings on the need for greater federal investment for upgrades to rural water supply projects in the nineteen western reclamation states. (PS)

Congress Yet to Act on Rescission Package
Congress has yet to decide how to respond to the Administration’s proposals for targeted rescissions to federal programs that it considers “lower-priority” in order to help pay for costs associated with hurricane recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast.  The Administration released its proposal on October 28th for a number of cuts to federal programs to come up with $2.3 billion in additional savings.  Included in its proposal are cuts to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service and farm conservation programs.  The proposed rescission to the Clean Water SRF is $166 million.  WEF is part of a coalition fighting the proposed cut and has issued a legislative alert urging our members to call their Member of Congress to voice opposition.  The alert can be found on WEF’s website at http://www.wef.org/PolicyAction/USGovernmentAffairs/ActionAlerts/CleanWater110905.htm.   (PS)

EPA Releases 2004 TRI Data Early
On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) facility-level data for Reporting Year 2004.  These data are being released in the same format as it is received by EPA - one form for each chemical at a facility.  This is the second year EPA has used this mechanism for delivering the information, called Electronic Facility Data Release (e-FDR).  The "raw" data in this format is not grouped and as easily searchable as the traditional Public Data Release (PDR), which also includes more quality checks, national trends, and analysis.  EPA will still publish the complete PDR in spring 2006.  Increased electronic reporting has allowed EPA to publish the e-FDR earlier for the 2004 reporting year.  TRI tracks releases of chemicals and industrial sectors specified by the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986.  The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 also mandates that facilities report data on other waste management activities such as treatment, recycling, and energy recovery. The e-FDR is now available at:  http://www.epa.gov/tri-efdr. (SJH)

GOA Report Criticizes Chesapeake Bay Program
On November 15 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report evaluating the work of the Chesapeake Bay Program.  The Bay program, established to coordinate and communicate restoration efforts, was criticized by GAO for ineffectively communicating the bay’s current conditions, producing reports with questionable credibility, and not having an implementation strategy for meeting its goals.  Maryland Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski (D) and Paul S. Sarbanes (D), and Virginia Sen. John W. Warner (R), who commissioned the report, sent a letter to President Bush this week calling for “immediate action to ensure the stewardship and accountability of the Federal government’s efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay.”  They requested that Bush set up a task force to "conduct a top-to-bottom review" of federal programs and resources aimed at restoring the bay.  One day before the GAO report was released, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, an independent, non-profit organization not affiliated with the Chesapeake Bay Program, released the 2005 State of the Bay Report, stating that the bay is “languishing for the 3rd consecutive year at about one-quarter of its potential.”

In the GAO report, GAO recommends that the Bay Program Office complete and implement an integrated assessment approach, revise its reporting approach to improve the effectiveness and credibility of reports, and develop a comprehensive, coordinated implementation strategy that takes into account available resources.  The GAO report is available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0696.pdf.   The letter from Senators to President Bush is at http://www.cbf.org/site/DocServer/1115senatorsletter.pdf?docID=4603.  (SRT)

Quote of the Week:  “We're having something a little different this year for Thanksgiving. Instead of a turkey, we're having a swan. You get more stuffing.” -George Carlin

This Week in Washington is provided by the Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA. To receive This Week in Washington by e-mail, contact Lisa Jones, (703) 684-2400 ext. 7741, ljones@wef.org. For more information on this week's stories, please contact the WEF staff whose initials appear at the end of the item in which you are interested. TW –Tim Williams (703) 684-2437, twilliams@wef.org; SRT - Sharon Thomas, (703) 684-2423, sthomas@wef.org; SJH - Sam Hadeed (703) 684-2418, shadeed@wef.org; PS-Patricia Sinicropi (703) 684-2416, psinicropi@wef.org. This Week in Washington is available on-line at http://www.wef.org/PolicyAction/USGovernmentAffairs/TWIW/.