Provided by the Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA

Senate Environment Committee Critical of EPA Budget Request
On Wednesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held its budget hearing on the Administration’s budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and heard testimony from EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson.  Senate EPW Chairman, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), was highly critical of the President’s request to cut the EPA budget by $310 million, and specifically criticized the proposed cuts to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program and to congressional earmark accounts that also support water infrastructure projects, stating that “these cuts will not be sustained throughout the process.”  While the Senate EPW Committee does not have decision-making authority over final spending allocations, the Committee’s budget views and estimates are used to established the overall budget amount that appropriators will have to allocate for EPA programs.  Senator Inhofe’s comments regarding cuts to clean water programs were echoed by most of the Senators present for the hearing, including Senator Kit Bond (R-MO), Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), and Senator Frank Launtenberg (D-NJ).  Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) criticized the Administration for its proposed cuts to water and wastewater infrastructure projects for native Alaskan villages.  During her statement, she referred Administrator Johnson to several photos depicting inadequate water and wastewater facilities in native villages that Administrator Johnson saw firsthand during a recent visit to the state.  Administrator Johnson defended the budget request by stating that the Administration is continuing its commitment to clean water in a fiscally tight budget climate by requesting sufficient funds to ensure a total capitalization of the CWSRF of $6.8 billion by 2011, by requesting a new research initiative to develop new infrastructure technologies, and by seeking innovative strategies for financing water and wastewater systems. (PS)  

EPA Releases Tools to Help Small Drinking-Water Systems
EPA released two new tools and a suggested affordability approach on February 15 for small water utilities trying to balance the demands for quality water with their financial ability to deliver.  The targeted systems serve 3,300 customers or fewer. The first document, "Setting Small Drinking Water System Rates for a Sustainable Future," is intended to help owners and operators understand the full costs of providing a quality and adequate supply of drinking water to their customers and to guide them in setting water rates that will support these costs.  The second document, "Case Studies of Sustainable Water and Wastewater Pricing," provides real-world examples of eight drinking-water systems and their approach to determining and establishing rates. The documents and additional information on EPA's sustainable infrastructure efforts are available at: http://www.epa.gov/water/infrastructure. 

In addition to the new documents, Assistant Administrator for Water, Ben Grumbles, signed a notice for publication in the Federal Register in which EPA is requesting public comment on several proposed revised methods to determine when variances can be granted by state agencies to small systems that cannot afford to comply with future drinking water standards.  A small-system variance allows a drinking water system to use a treatment technology that is both affordable and protects public health.  The proposal responds to a request from Congress and other stakeholders that EPA review its approach for assessing the affordability of drinking water regulations.  Comments will be accepted for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.  A pre-publication copy of the proposal and more information on small-system variances is at  http://www.epa.gov/safewater/smallsys/affordability.html.  (SJH)

World Water & Wastewater Treatment Market to Reach $484 Billion By 2010
According to a forecast appearing in "Water, Wastewater and Filtration: World Markets" published by the McIlvaine Company on February 15, the market for water and wastewater treatment and flow control under a broad definition will grow to $484 billion worldwide in 2010. The market for water and wastewater equipment and services including chemicals, filtration, biological treatment, and flow control will reach $348 billion in 2010. In general, the water and wastewater market is growing faster than the process markets with the exception of biotechnology. The membrane filtration market, which will generate revenues of $8 billion for water and wastewater treatment in 2010, is growing at more than 7% per year. (SJH)
 
EPA Announces 2006 Science Forum
This week EPA opened registration for Science Forum 2006: Your Health, Your Environment, Your Future, planned for May 16 – 18 in Washington, DC.  The Forum will highlight the relationship between the environment and public health, and will include plenary sessions, poster platform sessions, poster presentations, and exhibits on three tracks:  Disease Susceptibility and the Environment, Global Challenges, and The Built Environment.  The Science Forum, started by EPA in 2002, allows scientists, staff members, researchers, and stakeholders to share ideas, demonstrate their latest research, and explore opportunities to collaborate.  There is no registration fee to attend.  Additional information and registration are available at http://www.epa.gov/scienceforum.  (SRT)

EPA Announces Public Hearings for Two Air Monitoring Proposed Rules
EPA announced in the February 16 Federal Register that it will conduct three public hearings covering two proposed rules, National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter and Revisions to Ambient Air Monitoring Regulations.  Both proposed rules were published in the Federal Register in January. The hearings will be held concurrently on March 8 in Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Information on both proposed rules and the public meetings is at http://www.myspy.us/cgi-bin/nph-paidmember.cgi/111011A/http/www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-AIR/2006/February/Day-16/a1462.htm. (SJH)

WEF Offers Workshop on Implementation of Watershed Plans
WEF and EPA are offering a workshop for those involved in the design, review, and implementation of watershed-based plans in support of activities funded under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.  The workshop, entitled "Strategies for Implementation Using Integrated Watershed Planning," will be held May 22 at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.  The workshop will address integrated watershed management basics, preparation of watershed protection and restoration plans, goal setting and measuring success, and low-impact development.  The workshop is intended for State and Tribal officials involved in the management of Section 319 funds, the recipients of these funds, and grantee contractors.  The workshop is being offered at no cost, and attendance will be limited to 40 participants.  Registration and hotel information is available at http://www.wef.org/strategies.  (SRT)

Quote of the Week: “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. ~ Hans Hofmann

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/.