On Mar. 25, the Senate passed a third coronavirus relief package, HR 748.  The House is expected to pass it on Friday.

On March 20, WEF hosted a webcast on Clean Water Act regulatory issues in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 10, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $62 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the city of Morro Bay, Calif., to replace its 63-year old wastewater treatment plant with a new treatment and water recycling facility.

On March 2, EPA’s proposed updates to the the Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) were published in the Federal Register.

On April 2, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler will face House appropriators to defend the Trump administration’s fiscal 2020 budget request, which again seeks deep cuts to the agency’s budget and staffing levels. Wheeler will appear before the House Appropriations subcommittee for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

On March 28, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a hearing entitled “Examining the federal response to the risks associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).”

According to a multiple congressional staffers, Republicans and Democrats in the House are working behind the scenes to draft a big infrastructure bill; however, that bill may only tackle transportation — and may not include water provisions.

On March 20, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said water, not climate change, is the most pressing environmental issue the world is facing. Wheeler also said he wants to change the discussion around issues of global water pollution and water scarcity and that current water problems are not related to climate change.

On March 28 the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee will hold a hearing at 10 A.M. entitled “Examining the federal response to the risks associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).”