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.

February 3, 2006

Provided by the Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA

EPA Updates Position Statement on Environmental Management Systems
EPA announced in the February 2 Federal Register that it has updated its Position Statement on Environmental Management Systems (EMS). The updated statement replaces the 2002 Position Statement on EMS and reflects EPA's experiences to date with the promotion of voluntary EMS.  The Position Statement explains EPA's policy on EMS and their intent to continue to promote the voluntary wide-spread use of EMS across a range of organizations and settings.  EPA encourages organizations to implement EMS that result in improved environmental performance and compliance, cost-savings, pollution prevention through source reduction, and continual improvement. To view the revised position statement, visit: http://www.myspy.us/cgi-bin/nph-paidmember.cgi/111011A/http/www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-GENERAL/2006/February/Day-02/g1423.htm.  (SJH)

Environmental Appeals Board Approves First Air Compliance Agreements with Animal Feeding Operations
On January 30 EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) approved the first 20 air compliance agreements for animal feeding operations (AFOs).  The AFOs will participate in a nationwide project to evaluate air emissions.  The EPA-approved monitoring and research study will be conducted by independent researchers and begin later this year.  EPA expects the study to provide the Agency with a stronger and more complete body of air emissions data that can be used to develop a sound and effective regulatory program.  EPA will use data it gathers to develop emission estimates for farms that can be applied nationwide.  In addition, EPA may develop new compliance standards, guidelines, and enforcement policies.  The 20 agreements were submitted to the EAB on Nov. 9, 2005, and consisted of 10 swine-raising operations and 10 operations that raise egg-laying birds. EPA is evaluating the remaining agreements and plans to send those satisfying the requirements for participation to the EAB for approval as soon as possible.  More information on the AFO Agreements is available at http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/agreements/caa/cafo-agr-0501.html. (SRT)

National Water Directors Tour Urban Runoff Recycling Facility
The first quarterly 2006 National Water Division Directors meeting was held on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in Santa Monica, CA.  Discussions at the meting focused on sustainable infrastructure, wetlands conservation, and new technologies.  As part of the meeting, Ben Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water, toured the City of Santa Monica’s, Urban Runoff Recycling Facility.  “Even runoff can be a resource if you get creative and stay committed,” said Grumbles.  The facility reduces, recycles, and reuses urban runoff, which according to EPA WaterNews, “should be the clean wave of the future”.  For more information on the facility go to http://santa-monica.org/epwm/smurrf/smurrf.html. (SJH)

EPA Awards Federal Funding to Study Reducing Pharmaceuticals in Environment
EPA announced that is has presented a $101,125 pollution prevention grant to Villanova University in Delaware County, PA to study ways to prevent pharmaceutically-active chemicals from entering the environment.  The project will identify ways to better manage how prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals are discarded from university dormitories.  Additionally, the project is developing technology to reduce pollution by preventing pharmaceutically-active chemicals from leaving municipal wastewater treatment plants.  The grant comes from EPA’s source reduction and pollution prevention program that supports efforts to reduce or eliminate pollution as well as innovations to develop pollution prevention projects of general interest.  Additional information is available at http://www.epa.gov/Region3/p2/grants.htm. (SJH)

WEF Issues Prion Fact Sheet and White Paper
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) posted a fact sheet and white paper on prions in the Science & Technology Resource Center (Biosolids submenu) on its web page – www.wef.org. The fact sheet and white paper were developed by the Outreach & Education Subcommittee of the WEF Residuals and Biosolids Committee.  The fact sheet/white paper address the issue of whether the potential presence of prions in land applied biosolids could result in food chain contamination with the subsequent development of animal and human disease.  Based on a review of available information and assessments made to date, it is unlikely that significant levels of prions enter the wastewater collection system and the risk of prion transmission directly to animals and indirectly to humans from biosolids management and effluent land application is practically zero.  Prions are small folded protein molecules containing no genetic information and are made up of amino acids. The term prion is often used to refer to such abnormally folded proteins (also referred to as “proteinaceous infectious particles”) when they have the ability to affect other proteins, causing them to change from the normal form to the abnormal form.  To view the prion fact sheet and white paper, visit: http://www.wef.org/ScienceTechnologyResourceCenter/Biosolids/.   (SJH)

WEF Seeks Experts for Spokesperson Database
WEF continually seeks opportunities to raise its visibility in order to communicate with a broad range of audiences and increase public understanding of the water and wastewater profession and its role in the protection of public health, the economy, and the environment.  As a leading source of water quality information, WEF receives numerous media requests for comment and/or background on a wide range of water quality topics and is developing a database of experts to serve as Federation spokespeople.  To ensure consistency of messaging, WEF will provide appropriate preparation for response as well as media training.  WEF members interested in sharing their expertise and experienced in dealing with the media (or willing to learn) should contact Lori Burkhammer, WEF Director of Public Information at lburkhammer@wef.org.  (TW)

WERF Seeks Experts to Help Guide Research
The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) is accepting nominations for volunteer experts interested in shaping the future of water quality research.  As part of WERF's new Program-Directed Research initiative, individuals are being sought to populate a series of Exploratory Teams responsible for research plan development, technical oversight, and peer review of high-priority research challenges identified by WERF subscribers.  Potential team members should have first-hand knowledge and experience in developing water quality research plans and in providing technical guidance and oversight to researchers.  Please email the nomination form (http://www.werf.org/pdf/nominationform.doc) and a copy of your curriculum vitae to kfuhs@werf.org no later than Feb. 10, 2006. For more details, please visit www.werf.org.