Lame-Duck Look Ahead: Energy Permitting Reform Bill
October 13, 2022
In early August, it was announced that Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) had reached a deal with Congressional leaders to take up energy infrastructure permitting reform legislation. This deal was made in exchange for his support of the climate change and clean energy reconciliation package known as the Inflation Reduction......
ASCE Observes National Dam Safety Awareness Day
May 31, 2022
On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) observed “National Dam Safety Awareness Day”. Nationwide, more than 92,000 dams serve a variety of functions and provide numerous services including irrigation, water conservation, flood protection. Ensuring the safety and sustainability of the nation’s dams is a top infrastructure priority for ASCE, and......
Senate EPW Committee Advances the 2022 WRDA Bill
May 05, 2022
Last Friday, the Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee released S. 4137, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) for 2022. The committee held a brief but collegial hearing on Wednesday where the bill was unanimously reported favorably to the Senate floor. The full Senate is expected to take up WRDA by early June, with......
April 28, 2022
This post was written by Cathy Gillen and Matthew McGinn This week, Washington celebrated Water Week 2022, highlighting the critical importance of water policy. Water sector professionals gathered in person and remotely to advocate for critical water policy initiatives, hear from lawmakers on the current state of water policy, and discuss ongoing challenges. This year......
Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act
April 07, 2022
On Tuesday, April 5, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife held a hearing to discuss implementation of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA). DWWIA was passed by the Senate last April on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis and was ultimately signed into law in November as a......
House Committees Hold Hearings on Climate Adaptation
March 10, 2022
This week, two House committees held hearings to discuss strategies on adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change. On Tuesday, March 8, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee held a hearing entitled “Federal Climate Adaptation and Resilience for the 21st Century” with witnesses representing various federal agencies. The House Select Committee on......
Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Holds Hearing On Grid Resilience
February 17, 2022
On Tuesday, February 15 the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis held a hearing entitled “Keeping the Lights On: Strategies for Grid Resilience and Reliability”. The focus of this hearing was investments and policies in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve grid resilience, and to discuss future investments and policy needs. While......
Congress Begins 2022 WRDA Process with Key Hearings
January 13, 2022
This week, Congress officially opened its public process for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) for 2022. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Public Works Michael Connor and Chief of Engineers Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers appeared before House Transportation & Infrastructure Water Resources Subcommittee and the Senate Environment......
ASCE Submits Public Comments on Agency Climate Action Plans
November 11, 2021
Last week, ASCE submitted public comments on three proposed climate action plans drafted by Federal agencies. Plans drafted by 26 agencies were submitted to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on October 6, 2021 in accordance with Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. This Executive Order set out to establish......
Nations Converge on Glasgow for U.N. Climate Summit
November 04, 2021
This week, world leaders met in Glasgow, Scotland for the start of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). This year’s conference, like those of years past, convenes with the ultimate goal of setting the world on a path to preventing global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-Industrial......