News
Proposed Meat and Poultry ELGs Due 12/13/2023
Environmental groups sued in late December 2022, urging the U.S. District Court to set binding deadlines for EPA on revising its Meat and Poultry ELGs, which cover discharges by slaughterhouses, further processors, independent renderers, and poultry processors. Per the settlement agreement from Cape Fear River Watch, et al., v. EPA, the agency is expected to sign a notice of proposed rulemaking by December 13, 2023 and take final action by August 31, 2025. EPA reiterated this schedule when it published the final Effluent Limit Guidelines Program Plan 15 in January 2023. OMB received a copy of the proposed regulation on October 4, 2023. Representatives from a number of animal agriculture industry groups met with OMB November 7 and environmental groups met with OMB November 14.
EPA Releases Draft Revision of Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis
EPA has made available a draft revision of the “Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis,” and is seeking public comments through 1/15/24.
“The purpose of this guidance is to outline analytic expectations and discuss technical approaches and methods that can be used by Agency analysts to evaluate EJ concerns for regulatory actions. This guidance builds on the EPA’s experience in evaluating environmental justice concerns within the rulemaking analytic process and underscores the EPA’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”
The revised draft may be found here: Draft Revision of Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis (pdf)
Info on submitting comments can be found here: Public Comment on the Revised Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental Justice in Regulatory Analysis
EPA will also hold 1 more public webinar on the guidance. The event link appears to be live, so I would recommend copying the links into your calendars if you plan to attend.
Tuesday, December 12, 3:00-4:30 p.m. EST: Click here to join live event
Join by phone: +1 202-991-0477, Conference ID: 398 827 52#
Join by video conferencing device: sip:teams@video.epa.gov, VTC Conference ID: 1154644691
EPA VIDA Virtual Public Meetings Now Available
EPA has announced that its two virtual public meetings held on November 8th and 16th regarding the U.S. EPA’s Supplemental Notice to the Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance (published in the Federal Register on October 18, 2023) are now available online. As a reminder, public comments on the Supplemental Notice are due by December 18, 2023. Please see the EPA Commercial Vessel Discharge Standards webpage for more information.
Association Updates
SAVE THE DATE! 2024 National CAFO Roundtable
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Date: April 30 – May 3, 2024
Purpose: The 2024 National CAFO Roundtable supports the implementation of animal agriculture programs nationwide by helping support states and EPA to further identify challenges & barriers to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) program implementation, sharing new technologies, best management practices, showcasing innovative state programs and initiatives, facilitating discussion on national program enhancements and improvements, identifying state resource needs including tools, training and guidance, and proposing solutions to challenges and barriers faced by the agriculture industry and other stakeholders.
Attendees: The CAFO Roundtable is a meeting of state AFO/CAFO regulators and EPA regional and headquarters representatives. Attendees generally include:
- State program managers, permit writers and inspectors involved in regulating AFOs/CAFOs
- EPA Headquarter and Regional staff involved in AFO/CAFO regulation
- Partnering state and federal agency staff that provide technical and/or regulatory assistance to AFOs/CAFOs
- Invited Guests
ACWA Meeting Webpage: 2024 National CAFO Roundtable – Association of Clean Water Administrators (acwa-us.org)
ACWA Re-signs EPA’s Decentralized Wastewater MOU Partnership Agreement
This week, ACWA participated in EPA’s Decentralized Wastewater MOU Partnership 2023 Renewal Meeting. The meeting was the 7th renewal ceremony of the agreement. The purpose of the MOU is to facilitate collaboration at the national level to improve overall performance and management of decentralized systems and protect the nation’s public health and water resources. 25 partner organizations were represented at the renewal meeting. ACWA has been a part of the partnership since 2008. For more information about EPA’s Decentralized MOU Agreement, please visit EPA’s website or contact Lexy Bailey.
Meetings and Webinars
WaterTA
EPA’s Water Technical Assistance provides free hands-on support for communities to assess their water needs, identify potential solutions, and apply for federal funding to address their water challenges.
Join EPA on December 12th, 2:00pm ET, for an informational webinar about WaterTA and available resources to help ensure every community has access to funding.
REGISTER AT:
https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_pYnd-__eTBiBJYmKF_Sw9A
For more information on WaterTA, please visit www.epa.gov/WaterTA or to submit a TA request visit: https://www.epa.gov/water-infrastructure/forms/water-technical-assistance-request-form
How EPA’s Water Infrastructure Planning Tool Can Help Utilities Engage Community & Make Cost-Effective Multi-Benefit Investments
January 11th, 12:30-4:30pm Eastern
EPA’s capital project decision-making process, referred to as Augmented Alternatives Analysis (AAA), was developed to address the opportunities and challenges of modern-day project decision-making.
You should attend this workshop if you are facing a large capital investment and want to learn how to engage your community and evaluate the full range of potential economic, environmental, and social benefits for your project.
This workshop will walk through the ten steps in the AAA process, so utilities leave equipped to implement AAA at their own utility. This workshop emphasizes peer to peer discussion and attendees will have ample opportunity to learn from utility peers about their challenges, successes, and plans for implementing AAA when they return home.
To download the PDF flyer, click here
Decentralized Wastewater MOU Informational Webinar
ACWA, in partnership with EPA’s Decentralized Wastewater MOU team, is hosting a webinar to inform our members of the program and resources available to states on Wednesday, December 13th, 2023, from 2-3 pm ET. Please reach out to Lexy Bailey for the meeting invitation.
CWA Sec. 319 Revisions: EPA Open Office Hours
EPA has scheduled a series of optional office hours to discuss its efforts to update NPS Grants Guidelines for states and territories. EPA is currently accepting comments on a revised draft of Section 319 Grant Guidelines until December 31, 2023.
EPA’s informal office hour sessions are intended to allow states and territories to ask questions about the draft guidelines. Each office hour session will focus on specific chapters of the draft guidelines. Here is a schedule of the three remaining sessions:
- Dec. 13, 3:00- 4:15 pm ET: Chapters 8 and 11 (click to attend)
- Dec. 19, 3:00- 4:15 pm ET: Preface, Appendices, and Glossary (click to attend)
Please contact Ward Scott for additional information about these engagement opportunities.
Job Opportunities
Environmental Engineer – Wastewater
Job Number: 24-01918
Location: Des Moines, IA
Closing Date: January 2, 2024 11:59 PM
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources presents an exciting opening for a wastewater engineer who embodies technical proficiency, a strong customer-centric approach, and a keen eye for detail. We invite you to join our Wastewater Engineering team in the role of an Environmental Engineer to contribute to the preservation of water quality. This position is situated within the Wastewater Engineering Section of the Environmental Services Division’s Water Quality Bureau. As a wastewater engineer, you will play a pivotal role in our engineering team, dedicated to safeguarding the environment and public health. Your responsibilities will encompass the critical tasks of reviewing construction permit applications, managing wastewater treatment and collection system infrastructure projects, which include approving engineering planning reports, antidegradation alternatives analyses, plans and specifications. You will also be responsible for granting construction permits primarily for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (CWSRF) funded wastewater projects and some non-funded wastewater projects.
For more information, click Wastewater Engineer
SWQB Monitoring Team Scientist
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Closing Date: December 15, 2023 (applications may be reviewed prior to the closing date)
Job ID # 139188
Position # 25135
This position serves as a Monitoring Team Scientist and supports SWQB’s mission by planning and conducting surface water quality surveys to collect chemical, biological, and physical habitat data across the entire state of New Mexico. In addition to collecting data, this position is also responsible for water quality data management including quality control, quality assurance, and review of data collected; report writing; standard operating procedure review, comment, and adherence; and data analyses to support the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 305(b) assessment of state waters, the CWA Section 303(d) list of impaired waters, TMDL development, water quality standards refinement, and criteria development.
If you are interested in finding out more and applying, please visit NM’s Careers site to review the job posting and complete your application! https://www.spo.state.nm.us/work-for-new-mexico/
Aquatic Invasive Species Boat Launch Stewards
Location: Lake Champlain, NY and VT
Closing Date: February 1, 2024
Spend your summer by the lake! Join the efforts of NEIWPCC and the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) to prevent the spread of harmful and destructive invasive species, working to ensure a healthy and clean environment for wildlife and recreationalists. We are seeking multiple seasonal boat launch stewards to deliver interpretive invasive species spread prevention messages to boaters on Lake Champlain during the summer of 2024 and to inspect and decontaminate watercraft as appropriate.
To apply, submit a cover letter and resume by email to jobs@neiwpcc.org; please reference #24-LCBP-001
in the email subject line. Application review will begin on February 1, 2024, and will continue on a
rolling basis until all positions are filled. A full position description may be viewed at:
https://neiwpcc.org/about-us/careers.
Environmental Analyst – Wetlands & Long Island Sound
Location: Lowell, MA
Closing Date: January 5, 2024
We’re looking for a passionate environmental analyst to join our team of dedicated and resourceful
water experts. As a part of the Water Quality Division, you will work collaboratively with internal and
external partners to support NEIWPCC’s clean water priorities in the Northeast.
To apply, submit a cover letter, resume, and a brief writing sample by email to jobs@neiwpcc.org. Please
reference #24-Lowell-002 in the email subject line. Application review will begin on January 5, 2024
and will continue on a rolling basis until the position is filled. A full position description may be
viewed at: https://neiwpcc.org/about-us/careers.
Water Resources Administrative Assistant
Location: Union Gap, WA
Closing Date: Continuous
In this position, you will support the mission of the Water Resources Program by providing administrative support to staff in the complex work they perform. You will be at the forefront of modernizing and streamlining our work to best serve the communities and natural resources of the Central Region. You will assist the Section Manager in working with the public, our stakeholders, local governments, tribes, and other partners. Your work in this position will provide you the opportunity to expand your knowledge of water right laws and policies and to perform tasks that benefit the entire region.
For more information and to apply, please click here.
Water Quality Monitoring Technician (71770)
Location: St. Paul, MN; Brainerd, MN
Closing date: January 17, 2024
For more information and to apply, visit The Official Site of the State of Minnesota Careers.
Water Quality Monitoring Assistant (71754)
Location: St. Paul, MN
Closing date: January 17, 2024
For more information and to apply, visit The Official Site of the State of Minnesota Careers.
South Biological Monitoring Technician (71748)
Location: St. Paul, MN
Closing date: January 17, 2024
For more information and to apply, visit The Official Site of the State of Minnesota Careers.
South Biological Monitoring Assistant (71752)
Location: St. Paul, MN
Closing date: January 17, 2024
For more information and to apply, visit The Official Site of the State of Minnesota Careers.
Stream Crew Leader (71737)
Location: Brainerd, MN
Closing date: January 17, 2024
For more information and to apply, visit The Official Site of the State of Minnesota Careers.
North Biological Seasonal Technician (71750)
Location: Brainerd, MN
Closing date: January 17, 2024
For more information and to apply, visit The Official Site of the State of Minnesota Careers.
North Biological Monitoring Assistant (71772)
Location: Brainerd, MN
Closing date: January 17, 2024
For more information and to apply, visit The Official Site of the State of Minnesota Careers.
