Provided by the Water Environment Federation,
Alexandria, VA

Senate Infrastructure Bill Draws Mixed Reviews
States, municipal officials, and US EPA spent this week reviewing provisions of S. 1961, the bipartisan water infrastructure bill that was introduced Feb. 15. The Water Investment Act of 2002, sponsored by Sens. Jeffords (I-VT), Smith (R-NH), Graham (D-FL), and Crapo (R-ID), would authorize $35 billion for water and wastewater loans over five years. There is support for the increased funding, but municipal groups are concerned the bill goes too far in mandating local actions such as asset management, full-cost rate structures, and consideration of public-private partnerships as a condition of obtaining a loan. Hearings will be held Feb. 26 and 28, and Senate staff promise to work with municipal and other organizations to perfect the bill after those hearings. A House bill that authorizes $25 billion for wastewater grants and loans will be introduced next week. Click here for a summary of the Senate bill. The full text of S. 1961 can be accessed by going to www.thomas.loc.gov/ (TSW)

EPA Region 1 Administrator Varney to Keynote First EPA/WEF Wastewater Security Session in Boston
In response to concern that utility managers need to be aware of the steps they can take to protect their systems, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) will conduct a series of security training sessions for utility managers. Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), these free-of-charge, one-day workshops will be held at locations throughout the country during March - May 2002 and will address how to mitigate security threats and react in the event of a crisis. The first workshop in this series will be held March 6 in Boston, Mass. and will included a keynote address from EPA Administrator for Region 1 Robert W. Varney. Remaining sessions include Indianapolis, Ind. on March 19; Sacramento, Calif. on April 2; Dallas, Texas on May 1; and Atlanta, Ga. on May 9. A session in Denver, Colo. is tentatively scheduled for mid to late April. Schedule and location updates, as well as registration information, can be found online at www.wef.org/Publicinfo/WEFsecurity.jhtml. (JKS)

Gov. Glendening to Keynote at WEF Washington Briefing
Maryland Governor, Parris Glendening is confirmed as the luncheon keynote speaker for the 2002 WEF Washington Briefing. The briefing will bring together top federal and state officials to discuss innovative legislative and regulatory solutions to water quality challenges. The event begins April 16 at the Hotel Washington in Washington, DC and is followed by a WEF Government Affairs Committee strategy session on April 17 and WEF member visits to Capitol Hill. Contact Lisa Scott at lscott@wef.org for registration information (JKS)

Bush Accepts DOE Recommendation on Yucca Mountain
On February 15, President Bush sent a letter to Congress supporting Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham's recommendation to use the Yucca Mountain site as the nation's long-term repository for nuclear waste. After the required 30-day advance notice to Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn and the Nevada Legislature, Abraham sent his recommendation to Bush on February 14. "This recommendation is the culmination of two decades of intense scientific scrutiny," Bush stated in his letter to Congress. In a statement released the same day, Gov. Guinn announced his plans to exercise his Notice of Disapproval to the U.S. Congress (the Governor's Veto). "I am outraged, as are the citizens of Nevada, that this decision would go forward with so many unanswered questions," said Gov. Guinn. "As a state we are solidly united to continue our fight against Yucca Mountain becoming the nation's nuclear dump. We will exhaust every option and press our legal case to the limit." Abraham's recommendation and its supporting documentation, including the final environmental impact statement, are available at http://www.ymp.gov/new/documents.htm. (SRT)

Whitman Launches Climate Leaders Program on Greenhouse Gas
On February 20, EPA Administrator Christie Whitman kicked-off Climate Leaders, a key part of the Administration's new climate policy. Climate Leaders is a voluntary partnership with businesses that commit to work with EPA to develop corporate-wide greenhouse gas emissions inventories and set aggressive, long-term emission reduction goals. Last week, as part of a new global climate change initiative, the Bush Administration committed to cutting greenhouse gas emission in the U.S. by 18% over the next 10 years. The 11 companies participating in Climate Leaders include: General Motors Corporation, Lockheed Martin, and S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. (SRT).

Quote of the Week:
"I skated for pure enjoyment. That's how I wanted my Olympic moment to be."-U.S. Olympic figure skater Sarah Hughes, after winning the gold medal in her sport Thursday night. (Washington Post, February 22, 2002)

This Week in Washington is provided by the Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA. To receive This Week in Washington by e-mail, contact Lisa Scott, (703) 684-2400 ext. 7741, lscott@wef.org. For more information on this week's stories, please contact the WEF Government Affairs staff member whose initials appear at the end of the item in which you are interested. TSW -Tim Williams (703) 684-2437, twilliams@wef.org; JKS - Jim Sullivan, (703) 684-2436, jsullivan@wef.org: SRT - Sharon Thomas, (703) 684-2423, sthomas@wef.org; SJH - Sam Hadeed (703) 684-2418, shadeed@wef.org; EDM - Eugene DeMichele, (703) 684-2438, edmichele@wef.org; AMWA - Michael Archeneaux, michael@amwa.net. This Week in Washington is available on-line at www.wef.org/GovtAffairs