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.

March 10, 2006

Provided by the Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA
 
EPA Plans Meetings on Detection and Quantitation Approaches and Uses in Clean Water Act Programs  
On March 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two meetings of the Federal Advisory Committee on Detection and Quantitation Approaches and Uses in Clean Water Act Programs.  The meetings are scheduled for March 29 – 30 and July 13 – 14 in Arlington, VA. The purpose of these meetings is to continue to evaluate and recommend detection and quantitation procedures for use in EPA's analytical methods programs for compliance monitoring under 40 CFR part 136.  The draft agenda for March 29-30 includes a report and discussion of issues posed by the Policy Work Group on the uses of detection and quantitation procedures and their results. The Technical Work Group will report its results on designs for pilot testing by a single laboratory or by multiple laboratories. The advisory committee will provide direction to both the Policy and the Technical Work Groups on additional work to be carried out in advance of the committee's July meeting. The draft agenda for the July 2006 meeting includes a continuation of discussions about recommended uses of detection and quantitation limits in CWA programs, and approval of the design of a laboratory pilot of candidate procedures for calculation of these limits.  For more information about the meetings, contact Marion Kelly at (202) 566-1045 or Kelly.Marion@epa.gov.  (SRT)
 
House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Hears EPA Budget Request
On March 8, the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on EPA’s FY07 budget request for water programs. Both Republicans and Democrats were critical of EPA's budget request for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program, with Subcommittee Chairman John Duncan (R-TN) expressing his "disappointment" that the CWSRF, which to date has leveraged more than $55 billion in clean water programs, is "perennially the target of proposed budget cuts." Benjamin Grumbles, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water, reiterated the agency's commitment to sustainable infrastructure through full cost pricing of water and wastewater services to customers.  Grumbles said that the $688 million requested for the CWSRF is consistent with the administration's goal for the loan program to "revolve" at $3.4 billion a year by 2011, at which point the loan fund would become self-sustaining and not require any future infusion of federal dollars. (PS)

U.S. Geological Survey Releases Pesticide Report at Congressional Briefing
On March 3, the U.S. Geological Survey released a report documenting its nationwide assessment of pesticides in streams and ground water. This assessment is based on a decade of monitoring under the National Water Quality Assessment Program. The report was released at a congressional briefing co-sponsored by the Water Environment Federation and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. The USGS assessment provides the most comprehensive national-scale analysis to date of pesticide occurrence, concentrations, and potential for aquatic life and wildlife. Among the major findings, are that pesticides are frequently present in streams and ground water, were seldom found at concentrations likely to affect humans, but were found in many streams at concentrations that may have effects on aquatic life or fish-eating wildlife. The assessment also begins to examine two important topics with implications for the future—prediction of pesticides in unmonitored areas and long-term trends.  For a copy of the report and presentation delivered by USGS scientist Bob Gilliom, go to: http://www.wef.org/PolicyAction/USGovernmentAffairs/Legislative/ (PS)
 
Registration for Second National Conference on Trading Now Open
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are co-hosting the 2nd National Water Quality Trading Conference. The Water Environment Federation is one of several organizations cooperating in the development of the conference, which is scheduled for May 23-25 in Pittsburgh, PA. The conference theme, “Implementation at the Watershed Scale”, will examine the fundamentals and mechanics of water quality trading as well as highlight examples of water quality trading programs. USDA recently released a National Policy on Market-Based Environmental Stewardship and hopes the conference will increase awareness regarding the opportunities for agriculture’s involvement in water quality trading.  The conference will also highlight the economic and environmental benefits of trading, explore the opportunities and challenges associated with developing and implementing trading programs, and encourage discussion on the future of trading.  Conference registration is available at www.farmfoundation.org.  (SRT)

Quote of the Week: “Perservance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.”  ~Walter Elliott

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/.