News Farmer Fairness Act On Thursday, July 18, 2019 Representatives Ro Khanna (CA) and Mark Pocan (WI) introduced a bill which would extend the environmental liability under the CWA beyond CAFO farmers, to the integrator companies that hire them. Large companies like Tyson, Purdue, Cargill, Smithfield, JBS, Dairy Farmers of America, etc. will hire contract… Read More »
Weekly Wrap
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ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 25 (Week of July 15, 2019)
News EPA Announces $218 Million Water Infrastructure Loan to Silicon Valley Clean Water EPA announced a $218 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) to finance wastewater infrastructure upgrades that will protect public health and the San Francisco Bay. With EPA’s WIFIA loan, SVCW’s Regional Environmental Sewer… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 24 (Week of July 8, 2019)
News OECA Finalizes Memorandum to Enhance Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Partnerships with States In January 2018, OECA issued an Interim Guidance that discussed improving collaboration between the EPA and states on enforcement and compliance assurance. Over the last 18 months EPA has gained experience implementing this interim guidance and has taken public comment on the… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 23 (Week of June 24, 2019)
News CEQ Issues Draft NEPA GHG Guidance The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued draft guidance clarifying the treatment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in environmental impact reviews of federal projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). CEQ is accepting comment July 20, 2019. The new guidance replaces Obama administration guidance that… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 22 (Week of June 17, 2019)
News Idaho Conservation League Denied Review This week EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) issued a decision supporting EPA’s acceptance of Idaho DEQ’s interpretation of mixing zone regulations. In the petition, Idaho Conservation League requested review of EPA NPDES permit for the City of Sandpoint wastewater treatment facility. In particular, the Idaho Conservation League objected to… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 21 (Week of June 10, 2019)
News Senate EPW Committee Holds WOTUS Hearing This week, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on the definition of Waters of the United States in the Clean Water Act. The hearing included testimony and Q&A from Todd Fornstrom, a farmer and President of the Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, Doug C.… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 20 (Week of June 3, 2019)
News EPA issues CWA Section 401 Guidance Today, June 7, 2019, EPA released guidance for states, tribes, and federal agencies, titled Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Guidance for Federal Agencies, States, and Authorized Tribes. The guidance clarifies the existing Section 401 regulations and provides recommendations on coordination between federal agencies, states, and authorized tribes. The… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 19 (Week of May 20, 2019)
News EPA Submits Amicus Brief on Discharges to Groundwater Case This week, EPA submitted its amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case, County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund. EPA argues that the Court should consider the agency’s newly revised position on the CWA’s reach into groundwater and exclude any sub-surface releases from the… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 18 (Week of May 13, 2019)
News USGS Releases Point-Source Load Estimation Tool USGS released their new Point-Source Load Estimation Tool (PSLoadEsT). This tool estimates total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP). This tool is a user friendly tool that can be used for consistent and reliable data for nutrient concentrations released by point source discharges. PSLoadEsT estimates point-source nutrient loads,… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 17 (Week of May 6, 2019)
News EPA Discusses NPDES Application Updates This week EPA hosted a call to discuss the NPDES program application forms that were recently completed and will be made available via EPA’s website. Updates to these forms were the result of EPA’s finalized revisions to the application requirements found at 40 CFR 122.21. The application forms were… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 16 (Week of April 29, 2019)
News National NPDES SNC Rate Reduction Workgroup Symposium This week, ACWA staff, states, EPA HQ and Regions met in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss EPA’s SNC Rate Reduction initiative. Several subgroups of the workgroup identified products and tasks that will be implemented in the short term (3-6 months) and long term (6-24 months). Subgroups include: 1)… Read More »
ACWA Weekly Wrap Vol. X, Issue 15 (Week of April 22, 2019)
News ACWA Submits Letter in Support of STAG Grants to House and Senate Appropriations ACWA submitted a letter to both House and Senate Appropriation Committees in support of EPA’s State and Tribal Assistance Grants (STAG). The President’s Budget cut every STAG program and eliminated funding for important programs like Section 106 funding and Beaches Protection.… Read More »
