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CASA Opens New Headquarters Office!
Effective July 1, 2013 CASA has moved into its new office in downtown Sacramento. The new office is within easy walking distance to both the State Capitol and the Cal EPA building.
Our website address, e-mail address nor our phone number are changing. We invite our members to stop by the CASA office when you are in Sacramento.
California Association
of Sanitation Agencies
1225 8th Street
Suite 595
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 446-0388
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Join Us in San Diego to Hear from California and National Leaders on Clean Water Issues
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Felicia Marcus, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, and Congressman Scott Peters will join CASA at our upcoming Annual Conference scheduled for August 21 through 24, 2013 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. Themed, “Leading a Utility in Changing Times – Exploring Innovation” the conference will feature a keynote address from Chair Marcus highlighting ways in which the boards can embrace innovation and involvement. Congressman Peters, who represents California’s 52nd District in San Diego, will address delegates regarding his experiences as a new representative in Washington. Read more and register.
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CASA Signs on to Effort to Preserve Tax Exempt Municipal Bonds
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CASA has signed on to a coalition letter to members of the United States Senate urging support for maintaining the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds in any tax reform proposal. Led by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the coalition urges that preservation of the tax-exemption is essential to addressing national infrastructure priorities, helping our national economy grow, creating jobs and serving the unique needs of communities. The letter notes that this provision is fundamental because it reinforces the basic compact of reciprocal tax immunity and respect that exists among the federal, state and local governments. Read more.
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House Spending Bill Proposes Significant Cuts to Clean Water Programs, Including Clean Water State Revolving Fund
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Under a proposed House spending bill expected to be adopted by the Committee on Appropriations by the end of July, USEPA’s budget would be cut significantly in a variety of program areas that impact water quality and California wastewater entities. Pursuant to the House measure, which is slated for approval by the Subcommittee on Interior and Environment on July 23, 2013, USEPA would see a 33% funding cut. As part of the reduction, the clean water state revolving fund (SRF) program would only receive $250 million, a sharp reduction in spending. Read more.
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Federal Energy Policy
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CASA joined 474 other organizations in signing on to an advertisement sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trust Clean Energy Team. The advertisement emphasizes the need for federal energy policy and incentives for energy efficiencies. The ad appeared in the Washington Times on July 24, 2013.
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Office of Management and Budget Set to Release United States Environmental Protection Agency Proposal to Revise Water Quality Standards Regulation
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The Executive Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is tentatively scheduled to release a proposal to revise federal water quality standards regulations in August of 2013. The changes are based on proposals published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in July of 2010, on which CASA provided comments. Read more.
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Union Sanitary District Announces New Deputy General Manager
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Union Sanitary District (USD) is pleased to announce that Ed McCormick has joined the District as its new Deputy General Manager. McCormick is well-known in our industry for his many years of service at EBMUD as the Manager of Wastewater Engineering, and for his involvement in industry organizations including CASA, WEF, WERF and Tri-TAC. McCormick currently serves as CASA’s Program Committee Chair, and has chaired and participated on several committees during his 17 years of involvement with CASA, including his current role as Conference Program Chair. Read more.
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Federal Appointees Confirmed
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CASA members have likely read in news stories, the U.S. Senate averted a political donnybrook when Senators agreed to abandon the practice of stalling Executive Branch nominations from receiving Senate confirmation floor votes through filibuster. As a result, EPA Administrator Nominee Gina McCarthy was confirmed on receive a floor vote by July 18, 2013.
As an added outcome of the decision by Senators to pull back from the brinkmanship of the past several months, Committee on Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer has scheduled a committee vote on Kenneth Kopocis’s nomination to become the next Assistant Administrator of Water. This action suggests the votes exist to report the nomination to the Senate for a final floor vote before the Senate recesses for the month of August.
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Be Sure Your Agency Completes Communications Survey
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All CASA members should have received the CASA Communications Committee survey on current communications/outreach practices. Please take a few minutes to complete the brief survey. The results will be very valuable to the committee and used to develop future conference programs and enhance member support.
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Southern California Water Workshop: Focus on Our Future
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The Honorable Grace F. Napolitano in conjunction with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will host a dialogue about the future of water in Southern California. The forum will bring together leaders of industry, government, research and academics to discuss the framework of a sustainable water future for Southern California. The event will be held on Thursday, August 8, 2013 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the district’s Union Station Headquarters located at 700 N. Alameda Street in Los Angeles. Please contact Elle Brunsdale with Representative Napolitano at (202) 225-5256 or email notice of your attendance to NapolitanoRSVPs@mail.house.gov.
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Check out Aquapedia!
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In addition to just producing the Layperson’s Guide to Wastewater, the Water Education Foundation (Foundation) has launched its new free, online water encyclopedia – www.aquapedia.com. Aquapedia is an interactive online water encyclopedia that provides easy-to-understand factual information on topical water issues. The resource articles are vetted by the Foundation and supplemented with photos, graphics, videos, maps and other online tools. The Foundation went “live” with about 200 terms and are working now to grow the site based primarily on feedback we receive from Aquapedia users.
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