2021 CASA Annual Conference Set for San Diego
Have you heard the news? CASA is pleased to announce that we will be hosting our Annual Conference as an in-person event on August 11th - 13th at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront! This year’s Annual Conference theme reflects one of the clean water sector’s most impressive and enduring traits: resiliency. Registration is now open!
The Conference will feature a host of speakers covering important topics, including the impending drought, California’s push for electrification, the changing nature of work, gender diversity and pay equity in the workforce, communicating with diverse constituencies, and much more! Be sure to check out the Conference webpage where you can find registration, hotel and COVID related information that will be in place as part of this event. We hope to see you there!
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CASA Connects with Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL)
CASA recently launched a partnership with the Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL) program through support of an upcoming webinar focusing on the water-energy nexus. The webinar, scheduled for June 24, will bring together utility experts, local elected officials, and community leaders to examine the water-energy nexus and share innovative policy solutions that will ensure sustainable water and energy for all Californians.
WELL was established in 2012 to educate local Latino elected officials on water policy and hosts a variety of conferences, regional workshops, and fellowship programs to educate elected leaders on the most pressing water issues in California. To date, WELL has worked with over 550 local elected officials through their UnTapped Fellowship program, and several CASA member agencies and associates are also WELL supporters.
CASA is pleased to begin this collaboration and we are hopeful that the ongoing relationship with WELL extends far beyond the upcoming webinar. “This is an excellent opportunity to help CASA’s membership engage with diverse constituencies, and also an opportunity for CASA to provide additional wastewater expertise and perspective to WELL’s programs.”, shared Adam Link, CASA’s Executive Director. WELL has been invited to participate in CASA’s upcoming Annual Conference August 11-13 and other future programs as well. We are very excited about this partnership and future opportunities for both groups to cross-promote education and informational items of importance to the water and wastewater community!
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Governor Releases May Revision of the Budget
On Friday May 14th Governor Newsom released his May Revision of the 2021-22 Budget. The State is reporting a record budget surplus of $78 billion, and with a significant infusion of Federal Coronavirus relief funds, the May Revision proposes a $100 billion “California Roars Back” stimulus plan. The stimulus plan proposes significant investments of interest to CASA members, including:
- A $5.1 billion drought package which includes:
- $1.3 billion for water and wastewater infrastructure
- $20 million for PFAS support
- $150 million for groundwater cleanup/water recycling
- $1 billion for water/wastewater utility arrearages;
- A $1.8 billion Zero Emission Vehicle Package, which includes:
- $402 million for Clean Trucks, Buses, and Off-road Equipment
- $55 million for organics waste infrastructure, including:
- $20 million in grants to expand co-digestion capacity at existing wastewater facilities
We have been actively advocating in support of several of these aspects of the proposal being included in the final Budget package. The Senate, Assembly and Administration are now in the final negotiations on the Budget package and will be sorting out the remaining details over the next two weeks. It is possible some aspects of the Budget will be deferred and passed as a supplemental Budget bill later this summer, but details of which specific items will be deferred are not yet available.
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AB 377 (Rivas) Held Over as a Two-Year Bill
On Thursday, May 20th, the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committee held concurrent “suspense file” hearings in which all bills with significant fiscal implications for the state are prioritized and dispensed with in both houses. This somewhat opaque process often results in many controversial bills being held over for the remainder of the year. This was the case for AB 377 (Rivas), which CASA has been actively engaged on this year. It was held over as a two-year bill, meaning it is dead for the remainder of this year and is not eligible to move again unless the author requests the committee’s reconsideration in January 2022. The bill contained several problematic provisions including limitations on regional board flexibility in NPDES, WDR and MS4 permitting decisions, and the creation of a new punitive water quality enforcement program. CASA led an opposition coalition against the bill with our water and local government partner associations, including the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA), Association of California Water Agencies, (ACWA) California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA), California Special Districts Association (CSDA), the League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and others.
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Senate Committee Advances Office of Water Assistant Administrator Nominee
On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works favorably reported out the nomination of Radhika Fox to be Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The committee advanced the nomination on a vote of 14-6. Fox’s nomination now goes to the full Senate for debate and a vote, expected within the coming weeks.
Earlier this month, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing to consider the nomination of Radhika Fox to be Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water. Fox testified that if confirmed, she would work to "advance durable water solutions" and dedicate efforts to ensuring all communities have access to clean and safe water. She emphasized that she would prioritize collaboration, corporation, and communication with all who are impacted by the Office of Water's regulatory and policy decisions.
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Representative Huffman Introduces Western Water and Drought Legislation
Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) has introduced the FUTURE Western Water Infrastructure and Drought Resiliency Act (FUTURE Western Water Act) (H.R. 3404). The legislation is a comprehensive package that aims to address western water infrastructure and drought response needs. When speaking to the bill’s introduction, Huffman stated that “as the country starts to rebuild from the pandemic, we are facing another year of devastating droughts in the West. We cannot keep lurching from one crisis to the next, and it’s become abundantly clear that we must build resilient systems that work for everyone.” Huffman introduces this ambitious package as the House and Senate are developing a comprehensive infrastructure investment package with the Administration.
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President Biden Signs New EO on Mitigating Climate Risks to U.S. Financial Resources
President Biden has signed an Executive Order (EO) on Climate-Related Financial Risk that directs federal agencies to work to mitigate financial risks to U.S. assets posed by climate change. The EO explains that climate change impacts threaten the security of U.S. financial assets, and extreme weather events, which are becoming increasingly frequent, risk disrupting critical supply chains. The EO's fact sheet states that interruptions and disruptions to supply chains lead to depriving communities of critical resources, such as water supplies. Specifically, the EO directs federal agencies and departments to develop a whole-of-government approach to mitigate climate-related financial risks, encourage financial regulators to assess climate-related financial risk, bolster the resilience of life savings and pensions, modernize federal lending, underwriting, and procurement, and reduce risk of climate change to the federal budget.
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Webinars, Workshops & Events |
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WELL Webinar: What Local Leaders Need to Address the Water-Energy Nexus
On June 24 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, join the Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL) for a webinar, What Local Leaders Need to Address the Water-Energy Nexus. Two of the most important resources, water and energy, are pivotal to the economic growth, health, and resilience of our communities. Most of us are accustomed to the readily available supply of these two resources twenty-four hours a day. Yet, the relationship between water and energy is often misunderstood. In California, extreme droughts, heat, wildfire, and sea-level rise urge water and energy conservation. To address the impacts on water or energy supply, strategic collaboration from all levels of government including local residents is needed to integrate policy and improve challenges the water-energy nexus can create.
CASA is proud to support this webinar and happy to announce that CASA member, Teresa Herrera, general manager of Silicon Valley Clean Water will be a featured panelist. You won’t want to miss it! Be sure to join us on June 24th from 6:30-730pm as utilities experts, local elected officials, and community leaders examine the water-energy nexus and share innovative policy solutions that will ensure sustainable water and energy for all Californians. Register here!
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CWEA Annual Conference
Be sure to join the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) this June, for the AC21 Virtual Conference. This conference will provide vibrant education programming, impactful networking, and opportunities to reflect and connect over emerging and salient topics in our field. Register soon and don’t miss out!
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CASA Annual Conference 2021
Join us on August 11-13 for CASA’s 2021 Annual Conference at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront hotel. Believe us when we say, you won’t want to miss this! Register early to lock in the best hotel rates and please be sure to follow the safety guidelines, notices and waivers in place.
We hope to see you this August in sunny San Diego!
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ACT EXPO
CASA is proud to participate as an endorsing organization partner of the 2021 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, ACT Expo is North America’s largest advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event. Bringing together more than 4,000 stakeholders across the industry for an expansive showcase of the technologies, fuels, policies, and organizations to drive innovation and sustainability on our roadways. The 2021 event will be held August 30 through September 2 at the Long Beach Convention Center. More information is available on the website.
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CASA represents more than 125 local public agencies engaged in the collection, treatment and recycling of Wastewater and biosolids to protect public health and the environment. Our mission is to provide trusted information and advocacy on behalf of California clean water agencies, and to be a leader in sustainability and utilization of renewable resources. |
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