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<br />has been taken by the Senate Environment and Public
<br />Works Committee. Still, Senator Dirk Kempthorne (R-
<br />ID), Chair of the Subcommittee on Drinking Water,
<br />Fisheries and Wildlife, is working on an ESA bill.
<br />
<br />WATER QUALITY
<br />Safe Drinking Water Act
<br />
<br />Senator John Chafee (R-RI), Chairman, Environment
<br />and Public Works Committee, and Kempthorne, who
<br />chairs the subcommittee with Safe Drinking Water Act
<br />(SDWA) jurisdiction, have reached an agreement on
<br />prineiples for reauthorization. However, they have not
<br />been successful in negotiations to secure the support of
<br />the Committee's ranking Democrats, Senators Max
<br />Baucus (D-MT) and Harry Reid (D-NV), nor EPA.
<br />Without I)emocratic support, a SDWA re1luthorization bi!!
<br />would probably not pass in the Senate. On the other
<br />hand, a coalition of state and local government groups
<br />led by the National Governors' Association has already
<br />registered concerns that further negotiations may
<br />weaken their support for the current agreement.
<br />
<br />Senators Chafee and Kempthorne are expected to
<br />soon introduce a bill that would authorize $1 B annually
<br />through FY2002 for state revolving fund (SRF)
<br />programs. It would reportedly allow a portion of the SRF
<br />to be used by states to offset their administrative costs
<br />and make grants to disadvantaged systems. It would
<br />also allow up to half of a state's drinking water SRF to be
<br />used for CWA wastewater treatment projects and vice
<br />versa. EPA would be required to conduct a cost/benefit
<br />analysis of altematives when setting standards, and the
<br />bill would also give EPA discretion to set standards
<br />below the "feasible" level if the costs for a large system
<br />are not justified by the benefits. The proposal would
<br />also reportedly reform existing provisions on citizen
<br />suits, monitoring and enforcement. Further, it would add
<br />new provisions on source water protection, viability,
<br />small system variances anrl te"hnic...! assistance.
<br />
<br />EPA Administrator Carol Browner sent a ietter to
<br />Senator Baucus on September 27, outlining the
<br />Administration's goals for Safe Drinking Water Act
<br />reauthorization. She said that the Administration wants
<br />to focus on preventing pOllution from entering drinking
<br />water sources, rather than treating water "after the fact."
<br />She advocates financial, managerial and technical
<br />assistance to water systems, particularly small suppliers.
<br />Browner said the bill should allow water suppliers to
<br />focus on "high-priority risks," and use a "scientific, ri.sk-
<br />based process" to set priorities and determine which
<br />contaminants require regulation. She also said the
<br />
<br />Administration wants to "preserve progress made while
<br />increasing flexibility to effectively address emerging.
<br />priorities," such as the cryptosporidium bacterium.
<br />
<br />WATER RESOURCES
<br />Western Watercpolicy
<br />
<br />On September 15, with the encouragement of
<br />Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Mark
<br />Hatfield (R-OR), Department of Interior Secretary
<br />Bruce Babbitt certified the establishment of the Western
<br />Water Policy Review Advisory Commission, which
<br />Hatfield sponsored. Legislation authorizing the
<br />Commission was adopted as part of the Reclamation
<br />Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 (P.L.
<br />102-575). However, concerns over appointments made
<br />by Prosids:1t G6.orge 8u::;h and the nature of the
<br />Commission's work led the Clinton Administration to
<br />delay its establishment, as required by the Federal
<br />Advisory Committee Act (WSW #984 and #1007).
<br />Hatfield's measure authorized up to $10M for a three-
<br />year study. Now, the study is to be completed in two
<br />years, with less than $2M.
<br />
<br />Interior's announcement, published in the Federal
<br />Register on September 27, renames eight of the ten
<br />people President Clinton is authorized to appoint to the
<br />eighteen member panel: Denise Fort, Director of the .
<br />University of New Mexico's Water Resources
<br />Administration, as Chair; Bruce Babbitt, in his position as
<br />Secretary of Interior; Togo West, serving as Secretary of
<br />the Army; Huali Chai, a California attorney and expert in
<br />biochemistry; Janet Neuman, an Oregon attorney
<br />specializing in water and natural resources issues; Jack
<br />Robertson, Deputy Director of the Bonneville Power
<br />Administration; John Echohawk, a Colorado attorney
<br />with the Native American Rights Fund; and Patrick
<br />O'Toole, a Wyoming Sheep rancher and former state
<br />legislator. Omitted from the new list were Keith
<br />Higginson, retired Director of the idaho Department of
<br />Water Resources, and Harriet Wieder, of California, then
<br />Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
<br />
<br />PEOPLE
<br />
<br />WSWC member Reese Peck has resigned as
<br />Deputy Secretary of the South Dakota Department of
<br />Environment and Natural Resources to accept a position
<br />with Merrill Lynch in Sioux Falls. In a recent letter,
<br />Reese writes, "I have worked with many good people
<br />over the ye<!rs and take honest pride in the influence
<br />WSWC has had nationwide. I wish you every SUCCess
<br />in the future...."
<br />
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<br />
<br />The WESTERN STATES WATER COl,JNCll is ail organization of representatives appointed by the Governors
<br />of member states - Arizona, Califprnla, Colorado, HawaII, .Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon,
<br />South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming - and associate member states Alaska, Montana and Washington.
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