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<br />002937 <br /> <br />that have as a principal benefit the improvement or protection of water quality of navigable waters. The <br />Committee commented on clean water infrastructure financing at the November Oklahoma City Council <br />Meetings, and members voiced concern about this issue. <br /> <br />2002: The Committee will continue to stay informed of the progress of this and other similar bills. How <br />infrastructure for clean water can be financed will be one of the topics discussed by the Committee when <br />it meets with federal officials in Washington D.C. during the March council meetings. The Committee <br />may also develop a position in this regard. <br /> <br />Total estimated work days for CW A related items: 28 <br /> <br />Time frame: January - October <br />If comprehensive CW A reauthorization becomes a real possibility in this Congress - 39 <br /> <br />2. TRIBAL ADMINISTRATION UNDER CWA SECTION 518 <br /> <br />Work to date: An area of growing interest to several western states is improving coordination with Indian <br />tribes regarding water quality management. The existing provision allows the EP A to delegate primacy <br />for several CW A programs to qualifying tribes. The incipient problem of inconsistent water quality <br />management between tribes and states has been the subject of some efforts to reach a consensus with Indian <br />tribal representatives about improving coordination with mixed results. Litigation has ensued in several <br />instances. A discussion on this subject among tribal and state representatives at the October 2001 <br />settlement symposium identified consensus that the time was "ripe" for discussions. While EPA as yet <br />lacks a clear policy on ways to enhance cooperation, many expressed optimism that EP A could be <br />constructively engaged. <br /> <br />2002: In conjunction with one of its regular meetings, the Council will cosponsor with an appropriate tribal <br />organization a forum to share approaches and innovations within the framework of existing law to improve <br />coordination between states and tribes in water quality management. <br /> <br />Expected work days: 12 <br /> <br />Time frame: April - July <br /> <br />3. ESA/CWA COORDINATION <br /> <br />During the past several years, the Western States Water Council (WSWC) have focused much of their work <br />on improving implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This work has included review of <br />the potential impact on water resources management in the West, examining potential legislative reforms, <br />as well as federal administrative reforms that have been proposed. State initiatives with respect to species <br />and habitat conservation plans (HCPs) have fostered some successes, but also met with disappointments. <br /> <br />More recently, there has been a focus on TMDL development and implementation and the revised TMDL <br />rules. Both the WGA and WSWC have worked to assist states in developing and implementing <br />comprehensive TMDL programs "that provide flexibility to accommodate state and local conditions...... <br /> <br />During the past year, WGA and WSWC representatives discussed with representatives of both the Fish and <br />Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection Agency the status of the memorandum of agreement <br />(MOA) regarding ESA/Clean Water Act (CW A) integration. These representatives described the process <br /> <br />3 <br />