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.

October 6, 2006

Provided by the Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA

EPA tells Congress it will Accelerate Work on Endocrine Disruptors
The Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ben Grumbles, told the House Committee on Government Reform this week that EPA will speed up work on its program to control endocrine disruptors.  The hearing was called by Congressman Tom Davis (R-VA), chairman of the committee, in response to the recent U.S. Geological Survey report finding that male fish reproductive organs contain eggs in the Potomac River.  At the hearing, EPA was criticized for moving too slowly to address emerging or unregulated contaminants, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine disruptors that are being found in the country’s water bodies.  When asked to rate the urgency of the problem on a scale from 1 to 10, Grumbles said it was an 8 and acknowledged that the Potomac River fish are a sign EPA is not acting fast enough.  Testimony from Grumbles and other witnesses are available at http://reform.house.gov/GovReform/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=51221.  (SRT)

Congress Approves Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act
Before adjourning last week, Congress gave its final approval to a bill to reauthorize a restoration program for fish and wildlife in and around the Great Lakes.  The bill, S. 2430, The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006, authorizes $108 million over six years for the program, including $72 million for grants for protection and restoration of fish and wildlife resources and another $36 million over that same period for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to undertake regional restoration projects recommended by states and tribes. The 1990 Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (PL 101-537) directed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to study the status and restoration needs of fishery resources in the Great Lakes. A 1998 reauthorization (PL 105-265) shifted emphasis from study of species to making grants for restoration projects. S. 2430 reauthorizes the law and increases authorized funding for the programs. (SRT)

Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds Director is Leaving USEPA
After 19 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Diane Regas, Director of the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW), announced this week that she is leaving EPA to join Environmental Defense to focus on ocean-related issues.  “Diane's abilities to manage, inspire, and lead has resulted in cleaner, safer, and healthier watersheds throughout the country.  Wetlands, oceans, and coasts have also been touched by her unique skills and passion for protection and sustainability,” said Ben Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water.  Grumbles is expected to designate an Acting Director for OWOW in the next few days.  October 13th will be her last day at EPA.  (SRT)

Survey Finds U.S. Public 'Divergent and Polarized' on Environment
Environmental groups may need to change their message strategy to reach a broader swath of the U.S. public, according to a survey released by several advocacy groups on October 3. The American Environmental Values Survey found that Americans say they value the outdoors and have some worries about the health of the environment, but the public's environmental concerns are "divergent and polarized."  The research found little consensus about how different advocacy groups define "environment," creating tension over what its protection might mean and complicating groups' efforts to use a single message to reach a large number of people.  Although membership and funding for environmental groups have grown over the last couple of decades, polls show environmentalism has faded as a concern for most Americans.  The survey was conducted for the Sierra Club, Earthjustice and ecoAmerica.

Besides finding that American environmental interests are diffuse, the survey also found that men and women have significantly different concerns. Women are more receptive to traditional environmental appeals while men are more concerned about the potential economic trade-offs.  Additionally, the research found that environmentalism has been hampered by a general public skepticism toward "intellectuals" and science in general. More broadly, the survey found, environmentalism has an image problem, with only 44 percent of people willing to label themselves "environmentalists." The survey also showed that only 48 percent of respondents found environmentalists to be "practical" and 44 percent described them as "self-righteous." The survey found that the most effective way to reach the public through consumer-based appeals would be to point out the financial savings of some environment-friendly actions. "While many Americans are unresponsive to direct environmental appeals, most are immediately concerned about pocketbook issues," the research report says. (SJH)

National Drinking Water Advisory Council: Request for Nominations
EPA announced in the October 4 Federal Register that it is inviting all interested persons to nominate qualified individuals to serve a three-year term as members of the National Drinking Water Advisory Council. This 15-member Council was established by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to provide practical and independent advice, consultation, and recommendations to the Agency on the activities, functions, policies, and regulations required by the SDWA.  The terms of four (4) members expire in December 2006. To maintain the representation required in the statute, nominees for the 2007 Council should represent State and local officials concerned with public water supply and public health protection (2 vacancies) or represent the general public (2 vacancies). Submit nominations via U.S. mail on or before November 15. To view the Federal Register notice, visit: http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-WATER/2006/October/Day-04/w16380.htm. (SJH)

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/.