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WaterNews for February 10, 2006Benjamin Grumbles WaterNews is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water. In This Week’s WaterNews:
FY 2007 Budget Emphasizes Security and SustainabilityThe President's budget request emphasizes security and sustainability, and reflects the need for maintaining economic competitiveness while accelerating environmental protection. The agency's commitment to the four pillars of sustainable infrastructure -- Better Management, Water Efficiency, Full Cost Pricing and the Watershed Approach is also reflected in this FY 2007 request. To help support the pillars--$7 million was proposed for a Water Infrastructure initiative-- a major research effort to generate the science and engineering needed to evaluate technologies to reduce the cost of operation, maintenance, and replacement of aging and failing systems for drinking water and wastewater treatment. The Drinking water SRF was increased over the enacted FY 2006 budget and the Clean Water SRF program is expected to meet its long-term revolving target of $3.4 billion each year. The FY 2007 budget also requested $184 million for EPA homeland security efforts including $38 million for Water Sentinel pilots as well as the continuation of pilots that started in FY 2006. More than $70 million was proposed to clean and protect the Great Lakes, including $50 million for Great Lakes Legacy Act that will support four to six sediment remediation projects. Assistant Administrator Keynotes Womens Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE) We See the Future ConferenceBenjamin H. Grumbles, EPA' s Assistant Administrator for Water will be the keynote speaker at Women' s Council on Energy and the Environment' s (WCEE) 25th Anniversary celebration and "We See the Future" conference at the Willard Hotel on Thursday Feb. 9 in Washington DC. Grumbles' keynote address focused on energy and water efficiency, water infrastructure and the global challenge to increase access to safe water and sanitation. WCEE is a non-profit, nonpartisan professional organization founded in 1980 to provide educational and networking opportunities for professionals in energy and environmental fields. Deputy Assistant Administrator Speaks at the North South Basin Summit II in New OrleansBrent Fewell, EPA's Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water spoke to the Sand County Foundation on Feb. 2 in New Orleans Louisiana about Water Quality Trading. Since end-of-pipe dischargers have been reduced, new ways must be found to achieve results, beyond the command and control of regulations. Water quality trading is an innovative, market-based approach that can be used to accelerate the cleanup of watersheds impaired by nonpoint sources. Trading is a way to address the entire needs of a watershed and not just isolated point source discharges. Water quality trading is gaining increased acceptance by environmental groups, state and federal agencies, municipalities, and industrial groups as a cost-effective method to solve complex water quality challenges at a watershed scale. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Water Permit Application Deadline ExtendedConcentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) will have additional time to seek water permit coverage and implement nutrient management plans (NMPs) as required by EPA's 2003 CAFO rule. Under a final rule, facilities newly defined as CAFOs will have until July 31, 2007, to seek National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit coverage. The 2003 rule required newly defined CAFOs to seek NPDES permit coverage by Feb. 13, 2006, and for all CAFOs to have NMPs in place by Dec. 31, 2006. EPA will be revising the 2003 rule in response to a federal court decision; however, this revision will not be finalized by Feb. 13, 2006. Therefore, EPA is extending the deadlines. In addition, all CAFOs will have until July 31, 2007, to implement NMPs. "We're committed to issuing the new regulations as soon as possible and to helping states implement and enforce existing programs," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water. The action being announced today will not affect other aspects of the CAFO NPDES permitting program. It solely addresses timing issues associated with the court ruling. For additional information on the extension of CAFO compliance dates rulemaking, go to: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/afo/caforulechanges.cfm#dat .General information about animal feeding operations is at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=7. Your Health, Your Environment, Your Future - 2006 Science ForumMark your calendar for May 16 to 18 and plan to be at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC . Every year, the world's leading environmental scientists and policymakers gather at the EPA Science Forum to share, collaborate, and learn. This year = s Forum highlights advances in science, explores the relationship between our environment and public health, and examines the complementary roles of Federal public health agencies. The 2006 Forum, " Your Health, Your Environment, Your Future," will feature the collaborative efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. For more information on the Forum or to learn how to submit a poster abstract (deadline is February 22), visit EPA's web site at www.epa.gov/scienceforum/. Subscribe to WaterNewsPlease forward this message to your friends and colleagues who share an interest in water-related issues and would like to hear from EPA's Office of Water. To subscribe to the WaterNews listserve: Send an email message, leave the subject line blank, and address it to: In the body of the message write: Subscribe WaterNews firstname lastname (Please leave one blank space between each word, do not include any other message, and use your actual name- i.e. Subscribe WaterNews Robert Jones) A welcome message will appear in your email box once you are officially subscribed.
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