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<br />EPA/Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments: On December 21, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK),joined
<br />by Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM), Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Ben Nelson (D-NE), introduced the Small
<br />System Drinking Water Act (S, 2161) to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act and require the
<br />Environmental Protection Agency (EP A) to be more aggressive in helping small communities, those
<br />serving fewer than 10,000 people, make necessary improvements in their water systems to meet federal
<br />arsenic and other water standards, The bill has been referred to the Environment and Public Works
<br />Committee, which Inhofe chairs, and action is expected on the bill early next year.
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<br />EP A Administrator Stephen Johnson has assured Domenici the agency is willing to work with small
<br />communities without forcing water systems to shutdown or imposing drastic fmes. Still, S, 2161 would
<br />require that EPA ensure all water systems receive technical assistance and training to meet drinking water
<br />standards. It prevents EP A from initiating an enforcement action against a water system unless such
<br />assistance has been provided, The bill would authorize $15M annually for FY2006 to FY20 I 0, with at
<br />least 3% earmarked for tribes,
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<br />S. 2161 also establishes an EPA research pilot program to explore new technologies and approaches to
<br />comply with the arsenic regulation and other national drinking water standards, in collaboration with the
<br />Arsenic Water Technology Partnership program, a 2003 Department of Energy program that Senator
<br />Dornenici established to design demonstration technologies that could give small water systems and tribes
<br />affordable and cost-effective solutions to the arsenic standard.
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<br />u.s. Geological Survey/Cooperative Water Program Report: The Advisory Committee on Water
<br />Information (ACWI) has received a final draft report from an external task force reviewing the USGS .
<br />Cooperative Water Program (CWP), and an electronic vote is underway to approve the report prior to the
<br />next ACWI meeting on January 18. The report will be a topic of discussion at the 2nd National CWP
<br />Stakeholders Roundtable on January 31, in Austin, Texas (!WSW #1649), USGS Acting Director Pat
<br />Leahy, and Mark Limbaugh, Assistant Secretary of Interior for Water and Science, plan to attend. For
<br />more information, go to www.icwp,org,
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<br />FY2006 Budget ResolutionlFarm Bill Amended and Approved: On December 21, the Senate
<br />amended and then approved 51-50 the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, It took Vice President Dick
<br />Cheney, voting as President of the Senate, to break a 50-50 stalemate and pass the budget bill with
<br />$39.7B in spending cuts, including $2.7B from U,S, Department of Agriculture conservation programs.
<br />The House approved a related conference report by a 212-206 vote on December 19, Senate Democrats
<br />successfully challenged some parts of that report under Senate rules, raising a "point of order" with
<br />respect to provisions not directly related to the budget. The effect is that the altered budget bill must again
<br />be approved by the House, and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA) refused a request by Speaker
<br />Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to approve the changes by unanimous consent.
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<br />The conference report limits the new Conservation Security Program (CSP) to $1 ,95B over the next five
<br />years, and no more than $5,65B through 2015. CSP provides fanners "green payments" for conservation
<br />and environmental improvements while still working their lands. Environmental Quality Incentives
<br />Program (EQIP) spending would also be limited to $1.27B for fiscal year 2007 through FY2009, and
<br />$1.3B for FY201O, It extends spending authority for both programs through FY2011, which some farm
<br />interests believe may make it more difficult to make program changes in the 2007 Farm Bill.
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<br />Federal Water Efficiency Technology Bill Advances: S, 1860, the Energy-Water Efficiency
<br />Technology Research, Development and Transfer Program Act, was approved on November 16, by the
<br />Energy and Natural Resources Committee, The bill is intended to create a program through the
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