NRWA Well-Represented in Congressional Hearings

This article was originally published in the Rural Water Wire e-newsletter.

Over the recent weeks, representatives of National Rural Water Association (NRWA) have been invited to testify before House and Senate Committees regarding issues facing the water and wastewater industry.

Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems Executive Director Mark Pepper testified before the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works about Water Affordability and Small System Assistance on May 31.

During his testimony, Pepper highlighted issues facing small water systems, including affordability, the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), water industry personnel challenges, and PFAS regulatory burdens.

With increasing energy costs and supply chain issues, coupled with workforce challenges, small systems should have the ability to set affordable water rates to protect public health, Pepper told the committee.

Regarding the workforce, up to 50% of the workforce is expected to retire in the next decade and NRWA is helping to close the gap through our Registered Apprenticeship Programs. However, Pepper recognized more will need to be done to meet the expected demand.

Pepper also spoke about the elimination of PFAS from drinking water and the costs associated with testing and treatment. "It is crucial to recognize that small and rural communities are not responsible for introducing PFAS into the environment or public drinking water," Pepper said. "Extending CERCLA liability to these communities, which are innocent bystanders of PFAS contamination, would have unintended consequences and unjustly penalize them."

Listen to Pepper's full testimony here. His testimony begins at 54:56.

Additionally, NRWA CEO Matt Holmes testified on June 13 before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development during the Stakeholder Perspectives on USDA's Rural Development Program hearing.

Holmes presented Farm Bill requests to the committee, including the renewal of the USDA Circuit Rider Program, increased authority for emergency response efforts, assistance in protecting water systems from cyberattacks, the modernization of Rural Development Water and Environmental Programs, potential options for voluntary regionalization and consolidation efforts to increase sustainability, and financial resources for workforce development solutions.

"I hear daily from rural communities in need of assistance: whether the need is design and construction of new systems, repair and maintenance of existing systems, or response to emergencies," Holmes said. "In all these areas, Rural Water is there."

To help further modernize these programs, Holmes suggested training cybersecurity specialists to assist utilities in protecting their communities from hacks, as well as additional affordable financial and servicing options through Rural Development.

As another recommendation for the committee concerning sustainability, Holmes provided suggestions advancing voluntary consolidation of rural utilities by allowing a contiguous system to apply for a grant/loan on behalf of a neighboring, underserved community, with such an authority being narrow to ensure the additional subsidy is targeted entirely to the community in need.

“We suggest the Committee consider additional measures to further advance sustainability for rural utilities by specifically targeting assistance to lower-income communities without adequate water or wastewater service,” Holmes said. “These communities often lack financial and managerial capacity and the will to operate independently and sustain affordable service. Our recommendation is to provide a financial incentive by allowing a high-performing, local or contiguous system to apply for a grant/loan on behalf of the underserved community.”

In response to a question from Chairman Johnson, Holmes explained that the key to the recommendation was to provide a financial incentive for larger rural utilities to assist underserved communities on a voluntary basis.

Holmes was one of the most called-upon witnesses during the two-hour stretch of the hearing. 

Listen to Holmes's full testimony here. His testimony begins at 29:23.