Recent policy engagement

Appropriations

ICWP FY2024 Appropriations — Senate — September 21,2023

ICWP FY2024 Appropriations — House — September 21, 2023

USGS

ICWP’s membership have a vested interest in ensuring the longevity and effectiveness of programs under the USGS water mission area. The following are the three main program areas upon which we regularly engage.

Streamgaging Program

• View recent and past USGS streamgage funding requests here

3D Elevation Program (3DEP)

• 3DEP Coalition letter to House Appropriations FY2021 — April 24, 2020 

Water Use & Data Research (WUDR) Program

• WUDR State Workplans — May 31, 2019

Corps of Engineers

Project Partnership Agreements (PPAs)

A PPA is a legally binding agreement between the Government and a non-Federal sponsor (state, municipal government, flood control district, port authority, etc.) for construction of a water resources project. It describes the project and the responsibilities of the Government and the non-Federal sponsor in the cost sharing and execution of work.

On behalf of our members, ICWP seeks a shared approach to liability where each party is responsible. We seek opportunities to improve the ability of non-federal partners to be active equals on Corps-partnered projects.

• WRDA 2024 — House & Senate PPA Reform Partner letter — September 5, 2024, House T&I PPA Reform Partner letter — October 12, 2023, Senate EPW PPA Reform Partner Letter — October 5, 2023
• Coalition on USACE Project Partnership Agreements (PPA) to House T&I — February 8, 2022
• Coalition on USACE Project Partnership Agreements (PPA) to Senate EPW — December 17, 2021

Water Resources Development Act

This key biannual legislation addresses water infrastructure funding and policy, as well as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) projects. ICWP regularly weighs in on the provisions for this important biennial legislative package.

WRDA 2024

• USACE PPA WRDA 2024 Partner letter to Senate EPW — October 5, 2023

WRDA 2022

• ICWP letter to USACE — WRDA 2022 public comments — March 21, 2023
• WRDA 2022 support letter (submitted to House and Senate) — June 24, 2022

WRDA 2020

• WRDA 2020 support for urgent passage (submitted to House and Senate) — December 7, 2020
• WRDA 2020 support (submitted to House and Senate) — July 30, 2020
• America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) Senate (also sent to House T&I) — May 29, 2020
• WRDA 2020 provisions letter to House T&I — February 6, 2020

NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides many key resources for water managers. ICWP membership supports NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) program and efforts on precipitation forecasts, climate prediction, environmental modeling, and hurricane forecasting.

NIDIS

• ICWP Weather Act Reauthorization Act HR6093 Support to House Science/Env — January 25, 2024
• ICWP Weather Act Reauthorization NIDIS Recommendations to House Science/Env — July 27, 2023

Subseasonal to Seasonal (S2S) Forecasting

• FY2025 S2S funding support letter — April 12, 2024
• FY2024 S2S funding support letter — April 18, 2023
• FY2023 S2S funding support letter — April 25, 2022
• FY2022 S2S forecasting appropriations support — March 11, 2021
• NOAA S2S Forecasting report — August 9, 2018

Water Data

The purpose of this bill is to harness the power of data to transform water management across the United States. ICWP supports this legislation that seeks to build on successes that have already been piloted in New Mexico, California and Arizona to develop a coordinated approach across agencies that collect water data. The bill would direct the agencies to bring their data and tools together in coordination with state, tribal and local stakeholders to develop systems that will help transform water management.

• Water Data & Security Act support (Rep. Stansbury) — May 8, 2022

Resilience

Our organization has joined forces in support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Resiliency Coalition, where multiple national organizations strongly support legislation and funding for climate risk mitigation. This includes statements in support of federal investments for disaster mitigation, climate adaptation, and resilient infrastructure.

• Coalition support for FY25 IIJA Water Infrastructure resilience priorities (submitted to House and Senate) — June 5, 2024
• Coalition support for FY24 IIJA Water Infrastructure resilience priorities (submitted to House and Senate) — April 21, 2023
• Coalition support for resilience funding priorities (submitted to House and Senate) — March 23, 2023
• Coalition support for National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act (submitted to House and Senate) —August 2, 2022 and December 5, 2022
• Coalition support for S.3531 National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act (submitted to House and Senate) — March 7, 2022
• Coalition request for appropriations toward resiliency under Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021  — April 29, 2022
• Coalition support for H.R. 7242 Community Disaster Resilience Zones (CDRZ) Act of 2022 — April 27, 2022
• Coalition support for the nomination of Dr. Alice Hill as FEMA Deputy Administrator for Resilience — February 15, 2022
• Coalition feedback for US EPA/USACE WOTUS Roundtable Discussions — November 30, 2021
• Coalition support for S.3418 Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act of 2020 appropriations — July 30, 2021
• Coalition support for S.3418 Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM Act of 2020 — March 11, 2020

Environmental Protection Agency

Membership of ICWP includes state and interstate water resources management agencies, each who work closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the implementation of EPA’s Clean Water (CW) and Drinking Water (DW) State Revolving Fund (SRF) grants. These grants provide meaningful, low-cost financing to communities for water quality infrastructure projects to states across the nation.

• FY2024 request to end SRF Earmarks — (submitted to House and Senate) — May 2, 2023

Federal Water Agency Sub-Cabinet

One of the significant values to ICWP membership is the regular opportunity to interact and engage with federal agencies. ICWP, alongside the Western States Water Council and National Water Supply Alliance, host an annual roundtable opportunity in Washington DC to interact with the agencies. Below is a recent follow-up letter on the Federal Water Sub-Cabinet engagement following our most recent roundtable.

• Spring 2022 Roundtable Follow Up to Federal Water Agency Sub-Cabinet — June 24, 2022

Water Quality

Waters of the United States (WOTUS)

Protecting wetlands and streams is an issue that has been hotly debated since the Clean Water Act’s passage in 1972. Through the years, the question has triggered regulatory back-and-forth. ICWP has weighed in on this issue a number of times during each rulemaking revision with an interest in protecting the sovereign and co-regulator status of states and transparent stakeholder engagement.

• WOTUS Roundtable Comments — November 30, 2021