Final 2022 Bill Dispositions

The final deadline for the Governor to sign or veto all bills sent to him in the 2022 Legislative Session was Friday, September 30. Over the last several weeks he acted on nearly one thousand bills, including several of significant importance to the wastewater community. The Governor took the following actions on CASA priority legislation in 2022.

AB 2247 (Bloom): PFAS Disclosure: VETOED

CASA’s co-sponsored bill with Environmental Working Group and Clean Water Action was vetoed by Governor Newsom on the day before the final deadline. The bill, which would have required manufacturers to publicly report if their products contain PFAS, will not go into effect. In his veto message the Governor indicated he thought the bill may be premature given pending regulatory action on PFAS at U.S. EPA, and also cited fiscal pressure on the state and concerns over declining revenues. While the outcome is disappointing, we will continue our collaboration with the NGO community on PFAS, and plan to reassemble the successful PFAS policy roundtable later this year to evaluate next steps. 

AB 1817 (Ting): PFAS Ban in Textiles: SIGNED

The sale of textiles containing PFAS, including indoor and outdoor apparel will be banned in California beginning in 2025. AB 1817 was sponsored by Clean Water Action and supported by CASA. This is an important source reduction policy as PFAS contamination from residential laundry is a likely pathway for PFAS in wastewater. 

AB 2108 (Rivas): Environmental Justice Policies: SIGNED

Environmental Justice for under-represented communities has been a top priority for the Latino Caucus, which strongly supported this bill this year. The bill makes several changes to existing State and Regional Water Board policies which are intended to bring further engagement with disadvantaged communities about water management decisions that will impact them. We provided technical feedback to the author and sponsor who amended the bill to address our concerns about the individual NPDES permitting requirements in the bill.  The policy changes become effective January 1, 2023. 

AB 2771 (Friedman): PFAS Ban in Cosmetics: SIGNED

The use of intentionally added PFAS in cosmetics will be banned in California beginning on January 1, 2025. This is another important source reduction policy as many cosmetic products are rinsed off and end up in wastewater. CASA supported this bill which was sponsored by Environmental Working Group. 

SB 222 (Dodd): Low Income Water and Wastewater Rate Assistance Program: VETOED

SB 222 was a two-year bill that had been substantially negotiated with many stakeholders over the course of the 2021-22 Legislative Session. It would have required all water and wastewater agencies to create permanent low-income rate assistance programs subject to future state appropriations. In his veto message the Governor noted “this bill does not have any funding identified, and because it is an ongoing program that would require all community water systems and wastewater systems to participate, signing this policy would result in significant General Fund pressures in the billions of dollars to continuously provide such assistance.”

SB 1157 (Hertzberg): Indoor Water Use Targets: SIGNED

One of the most contentious legislative issues for the water community in 2022 was lowering the statutory per-capita indoor water use targets via SB 1157 (Hertzberg). CASA was initially opposed to the bill because the recommended targets failed to account for impacts to wastewater and recycled water systems. However, after significant lobbying in the Assembly, amendments were taken to require the Department of Water Resources to initiate a substantive study to evaluate the impacts on wastewater and recycled water systems and make recommendations for potential variances to accommodate adverse impacts to these systems. Given the amendments were responsive to our concerns CASA moved to a neutral position. In his signing message, the Governor encouraged the Water Board to develop a variance to “reflect investments in recycled water and infrastructure.” 

The Legislature has now adjourned until January. The final list of all bill dispositions for the legislation we tracked this year is available here.

It’s Time to Celebrate YOU (California Water Professionals)

This week we are thrilled to celebrate the sixth annual California Water Professionals Appreciation Week. We are extra thankful for all of the men and women who work hard to protect public health and the environment, 24/7, 365. We encourage CASA member agencies to showcase the programs and (virtual) events that educate California water customers, local elected leaders, state and federal legislators and other key audiences. Sharing your agency’s activities during the week highlights the value of water and wastewater services and the important role that water professionals play in providing these services. It is also an opportunity to showcase careers in the water industry. Please share information on your website and social media accounts. For more information, visit CWEA’s California Water Professionals Appreciation Week webpage.

Congress Passes Continuing Resolution Ahead of Start of New Fiscal Year

Last week, Congress passed a continuing resolution keeping the government open for the start of the new fiscal year (FY) that began on October 1. The continuing resolution, that funds the government at enacted FY2022 levels, will run through December 16, giving appropriators more time to reach a final agreement over FY2023 spending levels. However, lawmakers will be away from Washington D.C. for the month of October to campaign in their respective districts and states ahead of the November midterm elections. This means that Congress will have approximately one month to agree to and pass FY2023 spending bills when they return before the continuing resolution expires. Congress was able to pass the continuing resolution following an agreement to drop Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) controversial permit term language from the package. However, it is expected that Manchin’s permit language will be revisited during the Lame Duck.

CASA Sends Letter to Senate Committee Urging Action on WIPPES Act

The effort to advance federal “Do Not Flush” labeling standards for non-flushable wipes packaging continues in Congress, with CASA continuing to work with the coalition of clean water and wipes industry sectors and environmental advocates to push for congressional consideration of the WIPPES Act. Last week, CASA sent a coalition letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation leadership urging the committee to report out the bill (S. 3956) to allow for final passage this year. The letter can be accessed here.

CalOSHA Memorializes Requirements and Exemptions for Pipeline Injection

CASA recently received an official letter from CalOSHA which memorializes the exemptions from the Process Safety Management requirements for POTWs who inject biomethane into the common carrier pipeline. Ambiguity on this issue has been a concern for a number of POTWS that inject biomethane (or are planning to), and this guidance letter provides some clarity on various scenarios. Please contact Greg Kester if you have any questions or comments.

CASA Joins BAYWORK

CASA is proud to announce that we have joined the Bay Area Water/Wastewater Workforce Reliability (BAYWORK) as an associate member. Operational reliability of water and wastewater utilities depends on both having sufficient staff in mission-critical jobs and preparing that staff to do the technical work essential for public health and safety. BAYWORK was established in 2009 and is open to all Bay region water and wastewater utilities, many of whom have significantly contributed to its research, workshops, and product development activities. To find out more, visit the BAYWORK webpage.

CASA/CWEA WBE Webinar

CASA and CWEA invite you to join us this morning at 9:00am for a live webinar: Wastewater Based Surveillance – An update on its use and variant tracking. We will provide updates to the wastewater community on recent developments in wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) for COVID and its variants. Presenters include the California Department of Public Health, discussing their program and engagement with WBS, Professor Al Boehm (Stanford University) who will provide an update on her ongoing surveillance work and focus on variants, and Noako Munakata (LACSD) who will discuss the District’s work with WBS and future plans.

Speakers include:

Greg Kester - CASA – Moderator

Dr. Alex Yu – California Department of Public Health

Dr. Alexandria Boehm – Stanford University

Dr. Naoko Munakata – Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts

Free to members and non-members

Register here!

CWA at 50 Webinar

Join CASA and CWEA today from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for a deep dive into the Clean Water Act and the regulations driving our profession. The Clean Water Act and Porter-Cologne provided California’s water professionals and regulators the support and funding needed to make monumental clean water achievements. Rivers, bays, and beaches across the Golden State are cleaner than ever and enjoyed by millions of residents and tourists. Now 50 years old, and entering “middle age”, what’s the future of the Clean Water Act? Join our panel of regulatory leaders to explore and celebrate the CWA and learn about their vision for clean water going forward. You’ll learn about:

• CWA achievements and State Water Board priorities.
• Recurring challenges, including: Waters of the US, non-point source pollution, regulatory flexibility and innovation, and more.
• Current enforcement trends and where they’re heading.

Register today!

BAYWORK's 3-Part Digital Worker Webinar Series

Register today for the final webinar of BAYWORK’s 3-part webinar series where experts discuss digital tools and implications for utility workers. This webinar is geared for water and wastewater professionals, especially managers and supervisors, operations and maintenance staff, and IT, HR and others interested in implementing new technology. Register today!

October 12 - 10am to 12pm

Webinar #3: Digital Innovation: Which tools and strategies pay off for utilities?

California Financing Coordinating Committee 2022 Fall Funding Fairs

The California Financing Coordinating Committee (CFCC) is pleased to invite you to attend a free virtual funding fair on October 19 and November 3, 2022 (see flyer for more information). The funding fair will provide the opportunity to learn more about available grant, loan, and bond financing options for infrastructure projects from federal, state, and local agencies. 

Representatives from water industry professionals, public works and local governments are encouraged to attend. For more information about CFCCC, please visit the website at www.cfcc.ca.gov. 

CWEA Webinar Recycled Water: Terminology, Context and Promotion

Save the date for a webinar on recycled water October 20 at 11:00 a.m. presented by the California Water Environment Association’s community engagement and outreach committee. When potable reuse was first considered in the 1980s, a lack of public education led to public opposition that proved catastrophic to potential projects. Now as California continues to deal with issues of extreme drought, recycled water can be one of the keys to help strengthen local water supplies, improve water quality, support irrigation and agriculture, and with advanced purified recycled water, even become high quality drinking water, but only if the public supports and has trust in the process. Education, awareness and using terminology that is commonly understood by communities where advance treatment is being introduced is critical toward acceptance.

This webinar will discuss a brief history on recycled water and advanced purified recycled water, where it is going, and why coming together and choosing the proper terminology and context is critical toward gaining acceptance of future water projects.

H₂OSecCon

Registration is now open for the H₂OSecCon: Security for the Water Sector. Covering three afternoons, this one-of-a-kind virtual event will help water utilities understand physical and cyber threats and boost security. H2OSecCon will feature critical recommendations, industry subject matter experts, and resources that utilities need to protect their consumers, assets, and the environment. Register today! The event is a 3-day event November 15-17. 

Save the Date!

Be sure to save the date for CASA’s Winter Conference 2023, on Wednesday, January 25 - Friday, January 27 in Palm Springs! Stay tuned for more details in future editions of Connects.