On Jan. 23, the Trump administration announced it had finalized its rewrite of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.

On Dec. 12, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced legislation to provide necessary resources to water resource recovery facilities — frequently the largest energy user in municipalities — to upgrade their energy and water efficiency. The Water Environment Federation worked closely with Merkley's office to help create the bill. The infrastructure updates sought would curb emissions from wasted energy and reduce facility costs.