News
EPA Releases FY2025 Fiscal Year Results
This week EPA posted the enforcement and compliance assurance results for FY2025 along with preliminary results for FY2026. Annual fiscal year results can be found here: OECA Annual Results Reports | US EPA. The report notes that OECA “advances the agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment and helps ensure all Americans have access to clean air, land, and water.” Further, that in FY2025, “the agency delivered strong results, including the highest number of civil enforcement case conclusions in nine years; continuing the agency’s high-level performance for compliance monitoring activities; and bringing the most criminal charges against defendants since FY2016.” Some of the highlights from the report captured in an EPA press release include:
- Concluding over 2,300 civil enforcement cases
- Blocking over 1.6 million pounds of illegal pesticides from entering the U.S.
- Obtaining sentences for 99 criminal defendants
- Securing more than $6 billion in commitments to return facilities to compliance
- Securing commitments to clean up nearly 60 million cubic yards of contaminated land and water
- Reducing, treating, or eliminating over 98 million pounds of pollution and waste
- Assessing nearly $1.16 billion in civil penalties and criminal fines, restitution, and other court ordered relief
- Conducting nearly 12,000 compliance monitoring activities
A copy of the press release can be found here:
Trump EPA Releases Strongest Enforcement and Compliance Results in Years
A copy of the report can be found here:
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Annual Results for Fiscal Year 2025
EPA Seeks NDWAC Nominations
EPA published a notice in the Federal Register seeking nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for an appointment to the National Drinking Water Advisory Council (NDWAC). EPA is seeking nominations of candidates from the general public; states and local governments concerned with water hygiene and public water supply; and representatives of private organizations or groups demonstrating an active interest in the field of water hygiene and public water supply. EPA may also consider nominations received through this solicitation to fill any additional or anticipated vacancies on the Council through the end of 2026. The notice is open through 04/08/2026. Learn more about NDWAC at https://www.epa.gov/ndwac.
9th Circuit Finds EPA Failed to Conduct Proper ESA Consultation in Developing Water Quality Criteria
A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that EPA violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by failing to consult with federal wildlife agencies before issuing its 2016 Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 304(a) recommended water quality criteria for cadmium. In Center for Biological Diversity v. EPA, the court ruled that EPA’s development and publication of national criteria recommendations constitutes an “agency action” under ESA Section 7 because it is a congressionally mandated activity carried out by EPA and could affect listed species. The majority reasoned that although Section 304(a) criteria are nonbinding, they are widely relied upon by states and tribes when developing water quality standards and in other regulatory contexts, making their potential ecological effects foreseeable and sufficient to trigger consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
For state water quality regulators, the decision may signal increased scrutiny of EPA’s development of national criteria and other technical guidance that influences state standards programs. If the ruling stands and is applied broadly, EPA may need to conduct ESA consultations when developing future Section 304(a) criteria or updating national recommended pollutant levels, which could lengthen the timeline for issuing new criteria. The court rejected arguments that consultation is only required when states adopt the criteria, emphasizing EPA’s role in producing nationally applicable recommendations. A dissenting judge argued the case should have been dismissed because EPA’s criteria do not compel state action, highlighting an ongoing legal debate over how far ESA consultation obligations extend to federal guidance that shapes, but does not directly mandate, state regulatory decisions.
Association Updates
ACWA 2026 Mid-Year Meeting – View the Latest Draft Agenda!
Dates: March 25-26, 2026
Location: Alexandria, VA
View the updated draft agenda here.
There is still time to register! Register to the meeting here.
To reserve your hotel room, reach out to Annette Ivey.
Check our event webpage for more information.
2026 National Industrial Permitting Workshop – Deadlines Coming!
Dates: April 7-9, 2026
Location: Washington, DC
Agenda: 2026 National Industrial Permitting Workshop Agenda – 1/16/2026
Meeting Registration: Register to the meeting using this link. In-person registration will close on March 20, 2026. Virtual registration will close on March 27, 2026.
Hotel Registration: The hotel for this meeting has room nights at government rate. Please book your hotel room using this link. The room block closes March 16, 2026.
View more details here on our website.
2026 Water Quality Standards Workshop – Updated Draft Agenda Now Available!
Dates: April 21-23, 2026
Location: Little Rock, AR
Registration is open for the 2026 Water Quality Standards Workshop! This workshop will take place April 21-23, in Little Rock, AR. This workshop is a national meeting organized by ACWA for state staff involved in state water quality standards programs, as well as for both Regional and Headquarters-based U.S. Environmental Protection Agency managers and staff. The workshop will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Little Rock.
Registration is available here.
View the draft agenda here.
The workshop will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Little Rock. Reserve your hotel room here. The room block will close on March 30, 2026. ACWA does anticipate having travel support for state staff.
When available, more information can be found on ACWA’s events page.
ACWA 2026 Annual Meeting – Save The Date!
Dates: August 5, 2026 at 8:00 am – August 7, 2026 at 12:00 pm
Board of Directors will meet August 4, 2026.
Venue: The Eldorado Hotel and Spa, Santa Fe, NM
Check back here for more information regarding registration, lodging, and agenda.
Meetings and Webinars
Building Drought and Wildfire Resilience for Water Sector Utilities: Technical Assistance and Resources from EPA SWIFT
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 1:00 – 2:00pm ET
REGISTER HERE
SWIFT’s experts can provide hands-on technical assistance to help your utility build resilience to drought and wildfire hazards through risk-informed project planning and investment. Learn about the SWIFT technical assistance process, explore online tools for understanding and assessing system risk to these hazards, and review resources for identifying resilient infrastructure projects.
EPA’s Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT) initiative will be hosting a series of 1-hour virtual webinars in March, April, and May for a national utility audience (see below). They are listed on the Office’s Events Page.
EPA Tools & Resources Webinar: Freshwater Explorer 2.0
Date and Time: March 28, 2026, 3-4 p.m. ET
REGISTER HERE
EPA’s Freshwater Explorer is an easy-to-use, interactive web-based mapping tool for exploring freshwater data from streams, lakes, and groundwater wells in all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It can be used by citizens and non-governmental organizations to better understand national and local water quality issues and to provide water quality information to help federal, state, territory, Tribal, and local partners make decisions about freshwater resources. Users can add spatial layers to explore associations between water quality measurements and natural and human geographical factors and any of the 10,000+ other available data layers accessible from the GeoPlatform that may affect water quality in the United States.
This webinar will show users how to perform geographical searches and visualize background and measured data for water quality parameters.
Webinar Series schedule and recordings
EPA Research to Support States
Job Opportunities
Environmental Analyst – Permit Writer
Location: Albany, NY
Closing Date: March 15, 2026
To apply, submit your cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample by email to jobs@neiwpcc.org. Please reference #26-NYS-SW-DEC-002 in the email subject line. Application review begins on March 15, 2026. Accepting applications until the position is filled. A full position description and benefits may be viewed at: https://neiwpcc.org/about-us/careers.
Environmental Analyst (Quality Assurance)
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Closing Date: March 20, 2026
To apply, send a cover letter and resume by March 20th, 2026 to jobs@iec-nynjct.org . Please reference position number 26-001 in the e-mail subject line.
Environmental Program Specialist (Office Administrator)
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Closing Date: March 20, 2026
To apply, send a cover letter and resume by March 20th, 2026 to jobs@iec-nynjct.org. Please reference position number 26-003 in the e-mail subject line.
IEC Seasonal Intern, 2026
Location: Brooklyn, NY, and field locations throughout Metropolitan New York area
Closing Date: March 20, 2026
To apply, send a cover letter and resume to jobs@iec-nynjct.org by March 20th, 2026. Please reference position number 26-002 in the e-mail subject line.
Emergency Response Unit Supervisor
Location: St. Paul, MN
Closing Date: March 26, 2026
As the Emergency Response Unit supervisor at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, this position exists to supervise, implement, and oversee the emergency response program. This program is responsible for receiving, triaging, and distributing Minnesota Duty Officer reports, serving as the gateway to the MPCA. Further, the program leads and responds to all environmental emergencies at the MPCA, coordinating and collaborating with all MPCA programs and functional areas. The program has response staff in the following
offices: Brainerd, Detroit Lakes, Duluth, Mankato, Rochester and St. Paul. The program is a 24/7 operation with staff assigned on call responsibilities after hours and weekends. This position oversees the daily operations and preparedness of the staff. The position coordinates and collaborates with other state agencies, local government, federal agencies and tribal partners.
For more information and to apply, visit Minnesota Careers.
Environmental Analyst or Engineer – Training and Technical Assistance Specialist
Location: Lowell, MA
Closing Date: Open until filled
To apply, email your cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample to jobs@neiwpcc.org. Please reference #26-Lowell-001 in the email subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, accepting applications until the position is filled. A full position description and benefits may be viewed at: https://neiwpcc.org/about-us/careers.
Watershed Management Section Manager
Location: Thurston County – Lacey, WA
Closing Date: Continuous
If you’re interested in applying for this position or reading additional information, please follow this link:
Watershed Management Section Manager (WMS2)
Be sure to check out other opportunities on ACWA’s Job Opportunities page.
