On Friday, January 6 WateReuse Association, along with partner organizations, met with Radhika Fox, Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its first in-person stakeholder meeting since before the pandemic. Assistant Administrator Fox detailed her office’s priorities and regulatory agenda for 2023. The Office of Water remains focused on advancing Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) regulations, cybersecurity resources, implementing the State Revolving Funds, and providing technical and financial assistance to disadvantaged communities. WateReuse laid out its policy priorities including EPA’s continued leadership on the Interagency Working Group on Water Reuse, emphasizing water reuse and recycling as an essential resiliency and affordability tool as communities face compounding climate change impacts, and urging the Agency to adopt a polluters-pay model when it comes to PFAS cleanup liabilities. In a follow-up letter delivered to Assistant Administrator Fox, WateReuse urged the Office of Water to work with the White House Office of Management and Budget to request appropriations for the Pilot Program for Alternative Water Source Grants in FY 2024. The Alternative Water Source Grants Pilot Program was authorized but left without direct funding in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. By including a funding request for the program in the FY 2024 budget, EPA can communicate the nationwide importance of water recycling a resiliency tool. |