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The Water Resources Coalition was established in 2007 to promote the development, implementation and funding of a comprehensive national water resources policy. With member organizations representing state and local governments, conservation, engineering and construction, ports, waterways and transportation services, the Coalition works to ensure that a comprehensive, national water resources policy is developed, implemented and funded to provide a sustainable, productive economy; a healthy aquatic ecology; and public health and safety. For more information, visit the Water Resources Coalition Web site at www.waterresourcescoalition.org. |
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WRC Welcomes Two New Members!
The Water Resources Coalition would like to welcome two new members to the organization. Both the Association of Dam Safety Officials and the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies have joined the group in the past month.
ASDSO is a national non-profit organization serving state dam safety programs and the broader dam safety community, which includes federal dam safety professionals, dam owners and operators, engineering consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, academia, contractors, and others interested in improving dam safety. http://www.damsafety.org/
The National Association of Flood & Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA) is an organization of public agencies whose function is the protection of lives, property and economic activity from the adverse impacts of storm and flood waters. The mission of the Association is to advocate public policy, encourage technologies and conduct education programs which facilitate and enhance the achievement of the public service function of its members.
We look forward to working with ASDSO and NAFSMA! |
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WRC Submits Testimony to House Subcommittee
The Water Resources Coalition submitted a statement to the record on the administration's proposed budgets for the US Army Corps of Engineers' Civil Works program and the Bureau of Reclamation for FY 2011 to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Resources Development.
In the testimony the Water Resources Coaltion urged Congress to increase Civil Works funding to at least $7 billion for FY 11 in order to ensure that the Corps is fiscally capable of carrying out a mutitude of needed projects. The statement also requested Congress to fund the WRDA water resources priorities report, direct the Corps to complete the national shoreline erosion control development program, and invest in the repair and upgrade of critical coastal protection projects. Finally, the Coalition's testimony requested that the proposed budget for the Bureau of Reclamation be increased from $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion to bring the inflation adjusted budget to FY 09 enacted level. |
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House Approves Infrastructure Tax Incentives
The House of Representatives approved a bill last week that would provide tax incentives for certain types of investments to boost domestic spending on public works infrastructure, with a voice vote of 246 - 178.
H.R. 4849, the Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act, would eliminate the current cap on the amount of money that can be raised in each state through tax-exempt bonds issued to finance privately used or operated facilities for the furnishing of water or sewage facilities. Current law limits the amount that can be borrowed for sewage treatment facilities to a maximum of $90 for each resident of the state or $273 million, whichever is greater.
Interest on state or local bonds issued to finance activities of private persons is taxable unless issued for certain purposes permitted by the Internal Revenue Code-so-called "qualified private activity bonds." Under H.R. 4849, the volume cap would be repealed.
The bill also extends preferential tax treatment for "Build America Bonds" first authorized in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. ARRA permits a bond issuer to elect to have certain tax-exempt bonds to be treated as a "Build America Bond."
In general, Build America Bonds are taxable government bonds, the interest on which is subsidized by the federal government by means of a tax credit to the holder ("tax-credit Build America Bonds") or, in the case of certain qualified bonds, a direct payment to the issuer ("direct-pay Build America Bonds"). The bonds must be issued before January 1, 2011. H.R. 4849 would extend that deadline to June 20, 2013.
The legislation faces an uncertain future in the Senate as some Senators have concerns over provisions unrelated to the infrastructure investment incentives. |
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WRC Requests Disaster Relief Funding for FEMA
The Water Resources Coalition sent a letter to the Senate last week urging the Appropriations Committee to provide the US Army Corps of Engineers with supplemental disaster relief funding in order to prevent further property damage or possible loss of life due to the fierce storms that the country has faced this winter.
President Obama called upon Congress to provide funding for FEMA assistance after the recent storms on the East and Gulf Coasts, due to FEMA's lack of current funding to repair these Corps-built water resources projects. There is currently no post-disaster money in the Corps' FY 2010 budget, therefore Congress must provide the Corps with the funds and direction required to repair these projects to their pre-storm conditions. |
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WaterSMART Funding Opportunities Commence
The Bureau of Reclamation announced the availability of the Water and Energy Efficiency Grants funding opportunity, the first funding opportunity in 2010 under the WaterSMART program.
Reclamation is seeking proposals for projects that seek to conserve and use water more efficiently, increase the use of renewable energy in water management, protect endangered and threatened species, facilitate water markets, and carry out other activities to address climate-related impacts on water or prevent any water-related crisis or conflict.
Eligible applicants that may submit proposals for funding are State or Territory agencies or departments with water or power delivery authority, Federally recognized Indian Tribes with water or power delivery authority, irrigation and water districts, entities created under State or Territorial law with water management authority, municipal water or power delivery authorities, or other organizations with water or power delivery authority. Applicants must also be located in the Western United States or an authorized Territory. Projects will be selected for funding through a competitive process.
Proposals must be submitted as indicated on www.grants.gov by May 4, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. MDT. It is anticipated that awards will be made this summer.
For more information on the WaterSMART program visit www.usbr.gov/WaterSMART/. |
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Federal Hydropower Development MOU Signed
This week three federal agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a new strategy for promoting low-impact hydropower development at existing dams or small-scale projects that can incorporate hydropower. The Departments of Energy and Interior and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have agreed to evaluate new hydropower technologies and their potential impact on the nation's energy supply.
The agencies will examine the potential of installing hydrokinetic turbines in major rivers, turbines in water pipelines beneath streets, highly efficient turbines to replace those in existing dams, and turbines on existing turbineless dams. Energy Secretary Steven Chu estimated such technologies could yield in the range of 16,000 and 25,000 megawatts of renewable energy.
The MOU requires the preparation of a resource assessment of current Corps and Bureau of Reclamation facilities by October, as well as identifying ways to upgrade and modernize those facilities and install sustainable hydropower technologies at new sites. The agencies will also coordinate research and development on advanced hydropower technologies and quantify the hydropower potential at federal facilities. The MOU includes an initiative to conduct basin-scale assessments. A report to Congress is scheduled for April 2011. |
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Bureau of Reclamation Issues Draft Proposal for New Water Recycling Projects
The Bureau of Reclamation has released a draft proposal for how it will select new water recycling programs for funding, as it begins to address the backlog of authorized projects under it's authority.
The draft criteria will allow Reclamation, to prioritize funding based on a laundry list of weighted factors. A project's ability to reduce water demand would be given the greatest value, but criteria such as environmental quality, time to completion, energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness will also be judged.
The criteria, open to public comment for a month, will allow Reclamation to draw distinctions between projects authorized under its Title XVI program. While the grant program has operated since 1992, it has long suffered from low funding, allowing a backlog of $630 million in authorized projects to accrue.
The White House has proposed spending $29 million on Title XVI in fiscal 2011.
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Van Antwerp Sits Down with Water Resources Engineers
Lieutenant General of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Robert Van Antwerp Jr., shared his thoughts on the progress of the Corps' Civil Works programs in an interview with the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. Van Antwerp serves as the senior military officer overseeing military construction and a significant part of the nation's civil works infrastructure.
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ASBPA and Senator Coburn (R-OK) Find Common Ground
The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association met with Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and agreed to work together on legislation that would create a trust fund for coastal projects. ASBPA and Coburn also agreed to cooperate on developing a priorization method for all Federal water resource projects.
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Seventh National Monitoring Conference
The National Water Quality Monitoring Council will be holding the Seventh National Monitoring Conference in Denver, CO from April 25 - 29, 2010.
The conference will focus on the many facets of water quality and water quantity monitoring for improved understanding, protection, and restoration of our natural resources and communities. It will also provide a unique forum for water practitioners from all backgrounds - including governmental organizations, volunteers, academia, watershed and environmental groups and the private sector - to exchange information, develop skills, and foster collaboration and coordination.
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Sincerely,
Brian Pallasch and Marco Giamberardino
Co-Chairs
Water Resources Coalition |
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