Washington Report – February 26, 2024

March 1 funding for approximately half of federal government agencies will expire as part one of the current continuing resolution (CR) expires. The second CR will expire March 8;
The House is not in session until Wednesday, and the U.S. Senate does not lead on appropriations matters as that is a House function;
Options to avoid parts of the federal government from shutting down and keeping agencies and departments fully funded include:
- Extending the CRs with a new expiration date of March 22 being rumored;
- Level funding for the remainder of FY24, which ends Sept. 30;
- Approval of omnibus appropriations bills bundling a few agencies together in multiple, large-funding measures;
- Pass appropriations bills one-by-one, which would take longer and delay the start of the FY25 appropriations process;
Per debt agreement legislation passed in 2023, if FY24 appropriations are not completed by April 30, an automatic 5% across-the-board cut to non-defense programs will occur and there would be a 1% cut to defense programs;
Stay updated via APWA Government Affairs on X and LinkedIn.

It is vital Congress hears from you, as a public works professional and APWA member, on legislation impacting infrastructure;
Take a minute to contact your members of Congress urge your Representative to cosponsor the Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act;
The legislation is an important step in making sure non-flushable wipes are accurately labeled so consumers appropriately dispose them, and help avoid more fatbergs that obstruct systems;
The legislation is consistent with APWA policy priorities supporting coordination with the federal government, industry, and localities on care for water infrastructure;
If you aren’t receiving APWA action alerts, text PWX to 52886.

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) has announced the next round of funding for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) is open;
Full details are available at SS4A FY24 Notice of Funding Opportunity and be sure to fully review as there are multiple application deadlines depending on the intended purpose for the grant.

Register to participate and learn strategies, challenges, and best practices for deploying curbside charging stations;
Information and links to past joint webinars on EVs may be found at the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.

APWA joined a coalition of groups in the water sector on a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate appropriations’ committees urging full funding of $3B each for the Drinking Water and Clean Water state revolving funds (SRFs);
The letter reiterates similar points raised previously in a joint letter on proposed funding for water infrastructure in the President’s budget, particularly that repairing and replacing aging infrastructure has become more expensive with inflation and supply chain challenges;
More stringent water quality standards requiring new investments in sophisticated and often pricey treatment are also an obstacle.

EPA is announcing a $5.8B investment through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF), which will fund state-run, low-interest loan programs to address key challenges;
$2.6B will go to CWSRF for wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and $3.2B will go to DWSRF for drinking water infrastructure;
The announcement includes allotments for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law supplemental funds and emerging contaminant funds for SRF programs for FY24;
EPA is expected to announce billions of dollars in additional resources for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Lead Service Line Replacement fund this spring.

The Biden Administration has released an updated Critical and Emerging Technologies (CET) list;
The new list was compiled with input from multiple federal agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Commerce, Interior, and the National Security Agency;
CETs in this list include
- Advanced Gas Turbine Engine Technologies
- Artificial Intelligence
- Highly Automated, Autonomous, and Uncrewed Systems (UxS), and Robotics
- Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technologies
- Semiconductors and Microelectronics
The document is an additional tool to inform government-wide and agency-specific efforts concerning U.S. technological competitiveness and national security.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) now features a Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters tool;
This interactive mapping tool provides a visual layout of the frequency and cost of billion-dollar weather and climate events.

APWA’s collaboration with ASCE and ACEC on the Engineering & Public Works Roadshow visited Phoenix this past Thursday to champion the APWA award-winning Northwest Valley Infrastructure project;
APWA President Gary Losier spoke and APWA Region VII Director David Fabiano served as the event’s emcee;
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Phoenix City Councilwoman Ann O’Brien joined the press conference and spoke;
- “The Roadshow recognition is a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation in infrastructure, and further cements Phoenix as a leader in development,” said Mayor Gallego
To watch a recording of the event, visit the roadshow’s website
The roadshow is planning to visit Detroit at the end of next month.

All times ET.

Feb. 27 at 2:30 p.m., the Senate Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight Subcommittee and Fisheries, Water and Wildlife Subcommittee will hold a joint hearing on Understanding the Presence of Microplastics in Water
Feb. 28 at 10 a.m., the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee holds a hearing on Water Resources Development Act 2024: USACE Water Infrastructure Projects, Programs and Priorities
Feb. 29. at 5 p.m., FEMA will host a webinar on Connecting the Exercise Cycle and Continuous Improvement Process, which will share tools to use HSEEP (FEMA’s Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program) and NCIG (FEMA’s National Continuous Improvement Guidance).