Government Affairs

AWWA maintains a Government Affairs Office in Washington, D.C., within a brief walk of the White House and short subway rides of Capitol Hill and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Those three entities are the focus of most of AWWA's governmental affairs efforts, although the association often deals with a myriad of other federal agencies as various issues arise. The AWWA Water Utility Council determines the policies of the association's government affairs activities in accordance. Learn more AWWA Government Affairs Office 1300 Eye St. NW Suite 701W Washington, DC 20005 (202) 628-8303

Carrie Lewis (center) superintendent of the Milwaukee Water Works, signs an Agreement in Principle on September 18, 2008, in Washington, D.C., that will lead to major revisions to the national Total Coliform Rule. Lewis represented AWWA in the negotiations. Looking on are Cynthia Dougherty, Director of the USEPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, and Ben Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water at USEPA.    Video Update on TCR Accord

Calls, E-mails Needed to Congress Immediately on Proposed Stimulus Bill, Drinking Water Infrastructure AWWA's Government Affairs Office has issued an alert to members urging them to immediately contact their members of Congress if those members are on the House Committee on Appropriations and request that in the economic stimulus bill being considered, drinking water infrastructure receive parity with wastewater infrastructure.  Draft legislative language - titled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - released on January 15 shows drinking water infrastructure receiving $2 billion in the bill, wastewater infrastructure receiving $6 billion and $1.5 billion going to programs that serve both types of rural systems.  Calls, e-mails and faxes are needed because the committee will begin hearings next week. Members of Congress may not realize that drinking water utilities could put more than 400,000 Americans to work with projects that could start within 120 days of receiving funding.  Based on data received from drinking water utilities across the United States, the Government Affairs Office calculated that there is at least $10 billion in drinking water infrastructure projects that could begin in 120 days.  AWWA placed an advertisement on Page 2 of Roll Call, the influential newspaper covering Capitol Hill policy and personalities, on January 6, the day the 111th Congress convened, on those facts.  The ad referred readers to a special page on the AWWA website dedicated to these issues.  Discussions are continuing with Capitol Hill and the transition staff for President-Elect Obama.  AWWA had sent a customizable letter to its grassroots contacts on December 12, 2008, asking them to use that letter to communicate to members of Congress regarding drinking water infrastructure and upcoming economic stimulus legislation.  AWWA sent a letter to all members of the House of Representatives and Senate on December 11 urging them to dedicate $10 billion of the upcoming economic stimulus bill to drinking water infrastructure projects, pointing out those projects would create more than 400,000 jobs.  On December 16, AWWA, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators and the National Association of Water Companies sent joint letters to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with the same messages. AWWA, AMWA, NAWC, NRWA Provide National Drinking Water Agenda for President-Elect Obama The American Water Works Association, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, National Association of Water Companies and the National Rural Water Association jointly developed "A National Agenda for Drinking Water" to assist President-Elect Barack Obama and his incoming administration.  The booklet describes several drinking water issues and provides recommendations on how to address them in the near future. Water Sector First to Complete Report on its Security Efforts, Status The nation's water sector (drinking water and wastewater) became the first of country's critical infrastructure sectors to complete a "metrics" report on its security efforts and status.  The report, and an accompanying letter, were transmitted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on December 31, 2008.