House of Representatives Hearing
Tomorrow, July 28, 2020 the US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change will hold a public hearing: “There’s Something in the Water: Reforming Our Nation’s Drinking Water Standards.” The hearing is scheduled to start at 11:00 am (ET).
Below is a link to the Subcommittee’s website with a link to view a livestream of the hearing. https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-on-theres-something-in-the-water-reforming-our-nations-drinking
The scheduled witnesses represent the following organizations: (1) the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA), (2) Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) and (3) the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Copies of their written testimony are enclosed. (AMWA Testimony_07.28.20_VanDe Hei ASDWA Testimony_07.28.20_Chard NRDC Testimony_07.28.20_Wu)
ASDWA Release Report on State Drinking Water Needs
Today (July 27, 2020), ASDWA released the enclosed report “2019 Analysis of State Drinking Water Programs’ Resources and Needs.” (2019-Analysis-of-State-Drinking-Water-Programs-Resources-and-Needs) The text below is copied from the Executive Summary of the report:
“The purpose of the 2019 analysis was two-fold: 1) estimate realistic drinking water program workload for 55 state and territorial drinking water programs and 2) determine the severity of the gap in drinking water program resources.”
“….ASDWA estimates that 55 state and territorial drinking water programs currently have approximately 4,121 full-time employees (FTEs) and $574 million from all funding sources available to implement their programs. In contrast, ASDWA estimates that 55 state and territorial drinking water programs need 7,518 FTEs and $949 million in 2020 to effectively implement their programs. In other words, drinking water programs need approximately 82 percent more FTEs and 65 percent more funding than they currently have to effectively implement their programs and ensure safe drinking water for the public in 2020. The resources needed is the highest in 2029 when states and territories are projected to need 8,268 FTEs and $1.04 billion.”
