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.

September 15, 2006

Provided by the Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA

Senate Panel Approves Legislation to Help Clean-up Abandoned Mines
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved legislation this week that would encourage third party “good Samaritans” to clean-up abandoned hard-rock mines by granting them liability protections under several environmental statutes, including the Clean Water Act.  The bill, S. 1848, was introduced by Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Wayne Allard (R-CO) last year as a way to provide incentives for third parties who had no prior ownership or responsibility for an abandoned mine but who are willing to step in and pay for remediation costs to clean-up a particular mine.  The measure approved on Wednesday is a compromise between the original Allard-Salazar measure and one that Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced on behalf of the Bush administration.  The Allard-Salazar proposal would have given the groups cleaning up the abandoned mines exemptions from eight federal environmental laws.  The administration-backed bill would only waive the Clean Water Act and the superfund law.  The committee-approved bill would waive liability from four federal environmental laws: the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the superfund law and the Clean Water Act. In addition, like the administration-backed bill, it would waive federal environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act.  Proponents of the legislation say broad waivers are needed to encourage mine cleanups by good Samaritans, including mining companies, nonprofit groups and state and local governments, but some Democrats criticized the method to encourage the cleanups, saying it could actually loosen environmental safeguards.  No action has been taken on similar legislation in the House, and the legislation is not expected to be enacted by Congress this year. (PS)
 
Consensus Language Reached on Security for Chemical Plants; Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants Exempt
Senate and White House negotiators reached consensus for language authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to require chemical plants that manufacture, store, or otherwise use large quantities of toxic chemicals to implement security measures to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks.  The compromise language would replace similar language amended to the Senate FY07 Homeland Security Appropriations bill sponsored by Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) earlier this year, and is an alternative to chemical security legislation passed by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee this summer.  The consensus language contains provisions exempting water and wastewater treatment plants from the language’s requirements, a provision insisted upon by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, who is moving separate legislation designed to secure these facilities.  The chemical security language has broad consensus among industry stakeholders and members of Congress, but final passage remains unclear.  The Senate is expected to take up the measure next week and seek final enactment before Congress adjourns at the end of the month. (PS)

EPA Considering Budget Cuts for 2008 
A memo from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) chief financial officer, Lyons Gray, released Sept. 13 by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), describes plans to cut EPA’s budget for fiscal year 2008 and beyond by closing 10 percent of EPA’s laboratories and research centers.  The memo also asked EPA managers to identify full-time employees as candidates for buyouts.   According to PEER, targeted reductions in mid- to upper-level employees, combined with expected attrition, could result in “35% of EPA staff becoming eligible to retire during the next three years.”  It is unclear whether these cutes were part of the proposed 2008 budget that EPA submitted to the Office of Management and Budget on Monday.  "EPA planning is now driven entirely by external fiscal targets without regard to the effects upon public or environmental health," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "The Bush administration seeks to 'disinvest' in environmental science, pollution control and global sustainability."  The PEER article and a link to the budget memo are available at http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/091306EA.shtml.  (SRT)

WHO Publishes Third Edition of Guidelines for Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta, and Greywater 
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on September 13 that its third edition of Guidelines for the Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta, and Greywater in Agriculture and Aquaculture has been published in four volumes.  It addresses policy and regulatory issues, wastewater use in agriculture, wastewater and excreta use in aquaculture, and excreta and greywater use in agriculture. It supersedes the second edition of the guidelines, which was published in 1989.  The guidelines reflect a strong focus on disease prevention and public health principles and reflect the knowledge and experience of a unique group of scientists, regulators, and public health specialists brought together by the Water, Sanitation and Health Programme of the World Health Organization. The next step will be their implementation by WHO Member States. To study the obstacles and opportunities that may be encountered in their application and use, WHO and the Canadian International Development Research Centre will start joint research in three countries in North and/or West Africa.  The guidelines are available online at: http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/wastewater/gsuww/en/index.html.  (SJH)

World Water Monitoring Day Now a WEF Program
WEF and the International Water Association are inviting citizens and organizations from around the world to participate in World Water Monitoring Day on Wednesday, October 18.  This unique water quality monitoring program engages communities in performing basic monitoring tests of the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries, and other water bodies.  An easy-to-use test kit enables children and adults to sample local water bodies for a core set of water quality parameters including temperature, acidity, clarity, and dissolved oxygen content.  Results are shared with participating communities around the world through the World Water Monitoring website.  For more information, visit http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.com or contact Stephanie Kavanaugh at skavanaugh@wef.org.  (SRT)

New Conference on Paying for Sustainable Water Infrastructure
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority are hosting "Paying for Sustainable Water Infrastructure: Innovations for the 21st Century," March 21-23, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia.  This conference will bring together stakeholders from all levels of government and the private sector to explore creative methods to pay for sustainable water infrastructure today and into the future.  The conference is designed to integrate the two fundamental dimensions of paying for sustainable water infrastructure: increasing investment in cost-effective systems; and reducing capital, operation, and maintenance costs.  WEF is a conference sponsor.  Additional information is available at http://www.payingforwater.com/.  (SRT)

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/GovernmentAffairs/TWIW/.