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Winter 2014
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11
legislation
very day, the North Carolina Rural Water Association (NCRWA) is helping rural
utilities in our state provide the best water and waste water services possible. We
are constantly providing the communities we live in with invaluable technical
assistance and training throughout the year. These services help improve the quality
of life in our communities and help maintain and support job creation. We all know
how important our local water systems are to our lives. In addition to working
hand-in-hand with our members and other communities across our state, NCRWA
helps Congress understand how federal laws, regulations, and programs impact
our communities. As part of our efforts to serve and advocate for North Carolina’s
rural communities, we have worked with the National Rural Water Association to
establish and fund, as individuals, a political action committee, WaterPAC.
After the long election cycle we just experienced, many of you don’t want to
hear the term “PAC” for a long time, but WaterPAC is a crucial component to
the work we do to help Congress understand how vital clean, safe, affordable
drinking water and waste water services are to our rural communities. Most of
our members that have attended or exhibited at the NCRWAAnnual Conference
in Greensboro can recall the opportunity to contribute to WaterPAC in some
form. With this opportunity, always comes the question: what is WaterPAC?
Simply put, WaterPAC accepts voluntary contributions from people in the Rural
Water family and then uses those funds to support members of Congress that have
a proven record of support for us. With the active participation of the thousands
of people around the country who benefit from Rural Water, we can join together
and help elect those who help us. All of the funding goes to help Senators and
Congressmen that understand the importance of Rural Water.
A few more recent outcomes of our efforts in
Washington DC affecting your system directly have included:
• Continued appropriations for the water and wastewater infrastructure programs under
the USDA Rural Development and USEPA State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs;
• Continued appropriations to provide the Circuit Rider, Wastewater Technician;
and Source Water Protection assistance to your system
• The ability to distribute your Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs) electronically instead of hardcopy;
• The removal of fire hydrants from the no-lead brass requirements.
Thanks again for your past support of WaterPAC and please feel free to
contact Fitz Elder
in the Washington office of the National
Rural Water Association with any questions you have regarding WaterPAC.
By Fitz Elder, NRWA Lobbyist – Washington, D.C. Office
