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.

January 13, 2006

Provided by the Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA

State of the World 2006:  We Will Demand More Than Earth Can Provide
A new report from the Worldwatch Institute, State of the World 2006, concludes that rapid economic growth in China and India, combined with continued demands from the developed economies of the United States and Europe, will exceed the sustaining capacity of the earth’s ecosystems.  Although the U.S is still the earth’s biggest per capita consumer of natural resources, the report predicts that the natural resource demands of China and India will soon exceed those of the U.S. and Europe combined.  For example, the report predicts a tripling of urban water demand and a doubling of industrial water demand in India by 2025.  In her foreword to the report, Sunita Narain, director of the Indian Center for Science and Environment and 2005 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate (and WEFTEC®.05 Keynote Speaker) says that to avoid calamity India and China must “reinvent” the resource-intensive development patterns followed by the U.S. and Europe.  Copies of the report may be purchased from the Worldwatch Institute at www.worldwatch.org. (TW)

National Academies: Federal Cost/Benefit Analysis Needs More Consistency
A new report from the National Academies of Science and Engineering recommends that federal agencies do more to standardize the way they analyze the costs and benefits of environmental, health and safety regulations.  The report, which was requested by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), says a lack of standardization makes it difficult to compare various rulemakings and determine which ones have the greatest benefit.  The report includes a number of recommendations to improve comparability of cost/benefit analysis across agencies and increase transparency about the methods and information used.  It also endorses the continued use of two methods currently mandated by OMB.  The report, Valuing Health for Regulatory Effectiveness Analysis, is available from the National Academies Press at http://www.nap.edu/openbook/0309100771/html/index.html. (TW)

Free EPA Software Tool Will Help Schools Protect Kids' Learning Environment
EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson announced on January 13 the release of a new tool to help schools identify and prevent health, safety and environmental problems before they arise, building on the agency's voluntary school indoor air quality program.  Using a holistic approach to school health, EPA's new Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) is a free software tool that school districts can customize to assess potential issues such as mold, asbestos and lead paint, then evaluate and manage information on conditions at each school.
The announcement took place at EPA's sixth annual Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Symposium, with more than 500 school officials from across the country in attendance.  The symposium featured an awards ceremony to recognize individuals and schools demonstrating extraordinary commitments to improving indoor air quality for the nation's schoolchildren.  Winners are as follows: Since the creation of the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQ TFS) program, more than 26,000 schools across the country have adopted IAQ management programs consistent with EPA's guidance. The IAQ TFS program teaches schools how to identify, resolve, and prevent IAQ problems through low and no-cost measures.  The program explains IAQ management, facility planning and maintenance, financing, communications, and emergency response.  An IAQ Tools for Schools Kit also includes easy-to-use checklists for all school personnel, sample management plans, and a unique indoor air problem-solving wheel.  The program includes a complete checklist of EPA recommendations and regulatory requirements on dozens of health and safety issues.  Schools can download a free copy of HealthySEAT and learn more about the Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program and the 2006 National Symposium at: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools. (SJH)

NACEPT Environmental Technology Subcommittee Meeting
EPA announced on January 10 that the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT) Environmental Technology Subcommittee will hold a two day open meeting at the Madison Hotel, 1177 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 on Thursday, January 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday, January 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. NACEPT provides advice and recommendations to the Administrator of EPA on a broad range of environmental policy, technology, and management issues. The Environmental Technology Subcommittee was formed to assist EPA in evaluating its current and potential role in the development and commercialization of environmental technologies by suggesting how to optimize existing EPA programs to facilitate the development of sustainable private sector technologies, and by suggesting alternative approaches to achieving these goals. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Subcommittee's recommendations on these issues. The Subcommittee will also discuss new issues that it may address in the future. A copy of the agenda for the meeting will be posted at
http://www.epa.gov/ocem/nacept/cal-nacept.htm. (SJH)

Quote of the Week: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”.  ~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

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/.