News
Administration Releases Permitting Action Plan
The Biden Administration released a Permitting Action Plan to strengthen and accelerate federal permitting and environmental reviews. The Action Plan outlines the Administration’s strategy for ensuring that Federal environmental reviews and permitting processes are effective, efficient, and transparent, guided by the best available science to promote positive environmental and community outcomes, and shaped by early and meaningful public engagement. The Plan includes 5 key elements: (1) Accelerating Smart Permitting through Early Cross-Agency Coordination; (2) Establishing Clear Timeline Goals and Tracking Key Project Information; (3) Engaging in Early and Meaningful Outreach with States, Tribal Nations, Territories, and Local Communities; (4) Improving Agency Responsiveness, Technical Assistance, and Support; and (5) Using Agency Resources and Environmental Reviews to Improve Impact.
EPA Publishes 2020 Chemical Data Reporting Information
EPA is publishing information collected during the 2020 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) cycle to increase public awareness of chemicals being manufactured in communities and to enable citizen and stakeholder access and use of the reported information. CDR data users comprise a wide variety of stakeholders in addition to citizens and communities, including EPA, other regulatory agencies, industry, researchers, and nongovernmental organizations.
The CDR rule requires manufacturers (including importers) of certain chemicals listed on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory to report data to EPA every four years. Manufacturers (including importers) are required to report if they meet certain production volume thresholds, generally 25,000 lbs or more of a chemical at any single site. CDR is the most comprehensive source of basic exposure-related information on chemicals in U.S. commerce. The collection of CDR information is essential to meeting the agency’s information needs, especially for prioritization, risk evaluation, and risk management of chemicals under TSCA. CDR information enables EPA to develop an understanding of the types, amount, end uses, and possible human exposure to inform the agency’s identification, evaluation, and management of risks to human health and environmental risks.
The 2020 CDR information primarily covers manufacture, processing, and use activities for calendar year 2019. The data released includes company and site information, manufacturing (including import) information, production volume, and processing and use data. Further supporting EPA’s ongoing efforts to increase transparency and public access to information, the 2020 CDR data release does include information on chemicals not included in previous releases. This release includes chemicals which lost their confidential status on the TSCA Inventory because one or more manufacturers reported the chemical identities as non-confidential during the 2012, 2016, and/or 2020 CDR reporting periods. Therefore, the 2020 CDR database will include information related to those chemical identities that could not be revealed publicly in previous publications of CDR data.
The 2020 CDR data is available in downloadable files on EPA’s CDR webpages. EPA will also soon make the data available in ChemView. Helpful resources about using the CDR data and interpreting the CDR data are also available from EPA’s CDR website.
Association Updates
Seeking Case Studies to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the CWA
ACWA is preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act later this year and we are seeking case studies from our members. The goal of the campaign is to highlight the great work the states/interstates have been doing in implementing the CWA. We will kick off the campaign during the 2022 ACWA Annual Meeting (August 3-5, 2022) at Graceland in Memphis, TN.
The campaign includes several components (social media, Story Map, Etc.) with the most visible being a Story Map website that will consist of state/interstate stories highlighting how your programs are working to achieve the goals of the CWA. This is the time to celebrate the hard work of you and your staff and toot your own horns.
We would like to have stories from all ACWA members in the Story Map. We have created a simple template for you to use to enter your information. You can use an existing case study that you may have already created for another effort or you can come up with a new story. You can submit more than one story too! As the template is updated, our consultant will work to get the stories included in the map.
If you would like to submit a case study, please let Julia Anastasio or Kara McCauley know if you intend to submit a case study by June 1, 2022, and we will provide you with a link to the template. This is the time to show how you have been using the CWA to protect and restore the waters in your state!
Meetings and Webinars
EPA Webinar: Water Finance Center Contributor Training Webinar May 17
Date: Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm eastern
Register Here
On Tuesday, May 17 from 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Eastern, EPA’s Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Finance Center will host a virtual training on the Water Finance Clearinghouse. This webinar will be geared at new Contributors to the Clearinghouse.
The Water Finance Clearinghouse is a web‐based portal where users can locate information and resources, such as funding opportunities, reports, and webinars, that assist in making informed decisions about drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure needs. Attendees will learn how to create a Contributor Account, watch a tutorial on how to use the Contributor account and make Fund and Resource submissions, and discover tips and best practices to use the Clearinghouse
Registration is now available here.
U.S. EPA Water Research Webinar – Green Infrastructure: Ecosystem Benefits and Applications
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm eastern
Webinar Registration – Zoom
Presentation 1: Monitoring Green Infrastructure Applications
Presented by Michael Borst and Thomas O’Connor
Presentation 2: Leveraging Ancillary Benefits from Urban Greenspace
Presented by Matthew Hopton
EPA will use your registration information solely for this event and for invitations to future events. We will not share your information with any third party. It is EPA’s policy to make reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities wishing to participate in the Agency’s programs and activities, pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 791. Any request for accommodation should be made to Sam Whately at EPA-Webinar-Series@icf.com in advance of the webinar.
LIHWAP National Water Service Providers Meeting
Date: May 19
Time: 3:00-4:30 PM ET
Register Here
Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Community Services (OCS), Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) will host a special session for public and private water utilities on Thursday, May 19 from 3:00-4:30 PM ET.
This event will provide information on LIHWAP implementation, review possible challenges and success stories, and provide an opportunity for water service provider to share feedback on LIHWAP participation. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to review the LIHWAP Data Dashboard, an interactive data platform that provides information and updates on LIHWAP implementation.
Please share this invitation broadly with your local utilities, association membership, or partners so they can learn more about this federally funded water assistance program.
Office Hours: The national meeting will be followed by two office hour sessions held on Tuesday, May 24th at 3:00 pm ET and Thursday, May 26th at 12:00 pm ET. These sessions will provide water service providers the opportunity to meet with OCS staff to discuss questions or barriers to LIHWAP participation. OCS encourages water service providers to coordinate with the LIHWAP grant recipients in their area to attend office hours together. The link and additional information for office hour registration will be sent to participants in a follow up correspondence at the conclusion of the meeting. To maximize assistance, each session will be limited to fifteen participants at a time, on a first come, first served basis.
EPA Webinar: Reproducible Workflows – Moving From Spreadsheets to Coding
Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm EST
Reproducible Workflows Registration
In this introductory webinar to the “Coding-Based Workflows for Water Quality Modeling” series, we will discuss the benefits of incorporating reproducible practices into data acquisition, processing, analysis, and management. This session will include example applications of reproducible practices in data workflows. We will also highlight software and file management platforms relevant to this workshop series.
Hosted by the EPA Water Quality Modeling Workgroup
Presentation Speakers: Kateri Salk and Brian Pickard
May 24, 2022
Eastern: 1–3 pm | Central: 12–2 pm | Mountain: 11–1 pm Pacific: 10 am–12 pm | Alaska: 9 am–11 am
Integrating Water Quality Management and Natural Hazard Resilience through Nature Based Solutions – Watershed Academy Webinar
Date: May 24
Time: 1-3PM EST
Register here
Registration is now open for EPA’s Watershed Academy webinar on Integrating Water Quality Management and Natural Hazard Resilience through Nature Based Solutions, which will take place on May 24th, 2022. This webcast will feature professionals from across the country that are conducting projects that promote both water quality and hazard resilience. Speakers will discuss a variety of work, research on how communities can integrate nature-based practices into their planning and resource management, building partnerships across agencies and organizations, and creative funding strategies.
IJC Great Lakes Science Advisory Board Public Webinar: Development of a Great Lakes Groundwater and Surface Water Conceptual Framework
Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. EST
Register Here
The Great Lakes Science Advisory Board-Research Coordination Committee of the International Joint Commission (IJC) invites you to participate in a webinar about the board’s newly-published report on Development of a Great Lakes Groundwater and Surface Water Conceptual Framework.
The Great Lakes groundwater and surface water resources are connected, but there are gaps in coordinating and integrating how they are modeled and managed.
The IJC Great Lakes Science Advisory Board-Research Coordination Committee discusses how groundwater and surface water can be better linked and modeled in their latest report. This webinar will provide a deeper dive into the science and technical aspects of the report, of interest to groundwater and surface water researchers, managers, funders, regulators and those involved in using and modeling groundwater and surface water data.
On the webinar, a panel of IJC Great Lakes Science Advisory Board-Research Coordination Committee members will provide information and answer your questions about the report’s recommendations. Panelists include:
- Sandra Eberts, United States Geological Survey
- Réjean Couture, Geological Survey of Canada
NASEM Workshop: Communities, Climate Change, and Health Equity — State-Level Implementation
Date: May 24-26, 2022
Time: 12:00-3:00 PM EST
Register Here
In October 2021, the Environmental Health Matters Initiative (EHMI) organized the workshop Communities, Climate Change, and Health Equity—A New Vision, which provided an overview of how changing climate conditions exacerbate existing health inequities experienced by communities across the United States. The workshop identified a broad set of potential actions and actors that could lead efforts to address the intersection of climate change, health inequity and environmental injustice.
Given that much of the authority for addressing these issues rests at the individual state level, EHMI is organizing an additional workshop – the next in a series – from 12:00 – 3:00 PM ET on May 24 and 26, 2022.
This workshop will delve deeper into specific state-level actions and actors that could help improve climate-related health outcomes in disproportionately impacted communities, particularly through the deeper integration of health equity into climate programs and consideration of climate justice in public health programs.
APHL Webinar: Naegleria fowleri – Public health response to municipal water-associated cases in Texas and Louisiana
Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Time: 3:00–4:00 pm ET
Register Here
Presented by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL).
As summer approaches and recreational water activities increase, it is important for public health laboratories to be aware of environmental microbes that can live in water such as Naegleria fowleri. This amoeba can grow in warm, fresh water and can cause serious harm if contaminated water enters the body through the nose. Join this webinar to hear how the Louisiana Department of Health and the Texas Department of State Health Services responded to municipal water-associated Naegleria fowleri cases in their jurisdictions.
SPEAKERS
- John Williams, PE, Deputy Chief Engineer, Field Operations, Louisiana Department of Health
- Christa Cook, CIC, Team Lead IRID Epidemiologist III, Texas Department of State Health Services
- Ryan Wallace, Epidemiologist II, Texas Department of State Health Services
MODERATOR
- Mia Catharine Mattioli, PhD, EIT, MS, Environmental Engineer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
EPA Intro to ECHO Public Webinar: ECHO Behind the Scenes
Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Time: 1:30 – 2:30pm eastern
Register Here
During this webinar, we will dive into the “Behind the Scenes” of ECHO, answering questions about environmental data such as:
- From which EPA systems does ECHO retrieve data?
- How frequently are the data updated, and how do I make corrections?
- How can I download ECHO data?
- What are the ECHO web services?
Closed Captioning will be provided. Please contact EPA by June 1 to request other accommodations.
EPA Webinar: EFAB Announces Upcoming Webinar June 22
Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm eastern
Webinar Registration
The Pollution Prevention Finance Forum is a series of webinars that explore opportunities and challenges in financing sustainability, with an initial focus on advancing opportunities for small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses. The purpose of the second Forum webinar is to further assess the types of financial tools and models that are or could be made available for pollution prevention (P2) projects and are relevant to small and medium-sized businesses and manufacturers. The third Forum webinar will assess partnership models and explore potential partnership opportunities and distribution networks for P2 projects. P2, also known as source reduction, is any practice that reduces, eliminates, or prevents pollution at its source prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal. More information can be found here.
NASEM Climate Conversations: Water Justice
Date: June 23, 2022
Time: 3:00 PM–4:00 PM ET
Register Here
Join the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for a conversation about how to ensure all people in the U.S. have access to clean and safe drinking water in a changing climate.
Millions of people in the U.S. currently lack access to clean and safe drinking water, particularly in low-income rural areas and in communities of color. Our changing climate creates additional threats, such as droughts that diminish surface water bodies, algal blooms and salt-water intrusion that contaminate water supplies, and floods that overwhelm water treatment facilities. Join us for a conversation about how policies and infrastructure could help address current disparities in access to water and build resilience to the increasing impacts from climate change. Speakers will be announced soon.
The conversation will be webcast on the Climate Conversations: Water Justice webpage on Thursday, June 23, 2022 from 3-4 p.m. EDT. Closed captioning will be provided. The conversation will include questions from the audience and will be recorded and available to view on the page after the event.
Climate Conversations: Pathways to Action is a monthly webinar series from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that aims to convene high-level, cross-cutting, nonpartisan conversations about issues relevant to national policy action on climate change.
Job Opportunities
Forest Nonpoint Source Quality Analyst | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Location: Portland, OR
Closing Date: May 30, 2022
You will provide water quality data analysis, water quality evaluation and assessment, and technical modeling of complex pesticide, riparian shade, and other water quality data requiring GIS, ArcView, and other technical expertise to evaluate water quality on forestlands and effects from forest land use, management, rules, and regulations, as well as their effects on beneficial uses such as aquatic life and drinking water. You will perform water quality assessments and assist with technical and policy consultation and coordination on forest rulemaking, adaptive management, mapping of streams and road abandonment processes, forest management plan reviews, monitoring, and technical assistance to internal staff, agencies, and the public. In addition, you will be responsible for coordination with the forestlands water quality lead, DEQ’s Laboratory, regional staff, and other DEQ programs, as well as external agencies and stakeholders.
For more information, click here.
