2024 is shaping up to be an exciting year in Washington, D.C. Here are just a few of the issues NGWA will be working on in the coming year:
- Support for the Healthy H2O Act to provide grants to private well owners to purchase point-of-entry water treatment equipment where contaminated water exists
- Fully fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture water systems grant program at $20 million for fiscal year 2024
- Fully fund the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Rural Water Technical Assistance program, which supports communities to identify water challenges, build capacity, and develop application materials to access water infrastructure funding
- Urge the EPA to fully implement the Water Supply Cost Savings Act, which provides small communities across the nation with critical information on the use of water wells and water well systems to deliver high quality, affordable drinking water.
Directly affecting NGWA, the Association will be working on these initiatives and others in 2024:
- Continue to support the TRUCKS Act, which would allow states to issue a new “Small Business Restricted CDL” so Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) requirements would not affect small businesses with nine CDLs or less
- Workforce development programs like Tomorrow’s Workforce Coalition, a new alliance created to support the passage of the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act; this bipartisan bill would expand qualifying expenses for 529 college saving plans to include postsecondary training and credentialing programs
- Managed aquifer recharge and stormwater recharge programs.
Click here to stay updated on these issues and more. The site serves as a resource for lawmakers, researchers, and water industry professionals on water issues, including national water infrastructure of supporting water wells, groundwater sustainability, and mandatory hook-up.
For more information, email Lacey Meeks-Kuhne, government affairs and developmenet manager, at lmeeks@ngwa.org, or call (800) 551-7379, ext. 1570.