2022-23 State Budget
On Monday, January 10th Governor Newsom introduced his 2022-23 State Budget proposal. Revenues are again surging resulting in a projected $20 billion revenue surplus. Prior revenue forecasts released by the independent Legislative Analyst’s office projected a $31 billion budget surplus in 2022-23, creating an approximate $10 billion discrepancy in available discretionary spending. Beginning in March the Legislature will work through each of the Governor’s proposed Budget actions through the Budget subcommittee process in each house and will propose changes. In May, the Governor will announce his May Revision of the Budget, which is reflective of revenues post tax-season and will include updated revenue estimates. In late May Budget negotiations will take center stage in the Legislature and the final Budget will be passed by the June 15th constitutional deadline.
There are several major expenditures of interest to CASA members in the Governor’s Budget, including:
$22.5 Billion for investments for Climate Change, including:
- $750 million for water resilience and drought response;
- $2.1 Billion for Nature Based Solutions, Extreme Heat, Coastal Resilience and Community Resilience, including:
- $382 million for nature-based solutions to support the Governor’s 30x30 initiative
- $350 million for coastal wetland protection, restoration, and resilience
- $6.1 billion over 5 years for Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) acceleration, including:
- $1.1 billion for zero emission trucks, buses and off-road equipment
- $2 billion for Clean Energy Investments, including:
- $380 million for long duration storage projects to support grid reliability;
- $100 million to advance the use of green hydrogen;
- $210 million for industrial sector decarbonization
$6 Billion for Environmental Protection, including:
- $240 million for the Air Resources Board to support the Community Air Protection Program (AB 617)
- $7.6 million to implement the Heavy-Duty Vehicle smog check program (SB 210)
New tax credits to encourage climate innovation:
- $250 million per year for 3 years in credits for companies investing in activities and technologies that mitigate climate change and are headquartered in California;
- $100 million per year for 3 years in credits for companies to fund
- pre-development costs for new technologies such as: electric vehicle manufacturing and infrastructure; geothermal, lithium extraction, and battery manufacturing; long-duration storage; addressing methane emissions; and hydrogen technologies to reduce the use of natural gas.
We will work with the CASA State Legislative Committee to identify opportunities to support, provide feedback on, and advocate for our funding priorities in the Budget.
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Join us in the Nation’s Capital
2022 holds great possibilities and opportunities for our federal legislative priorities. That’s why we urge you to join us next month at our Washington D.C. Policy Forum February 28-March 1. The event will feature an excellent program with speakers that include Congressional staff, reporters, and national water associations providing their perspective on the infrastructure package and other exciting developments of importance to California’s clean water professionals. Help strengthen our advocacy and promote the clean water community’s federal agenda by going directly to the source. Our event takes place at a fabulous new venue this year: the Hotel Washington directly across from the White House. Register today, and we hope to see you there! Deadline for hotel reservations is February 7!
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Committee Seeks Suggestions for Potential CASA Board Members
The CASA nominating committee, chaired by immediate past president Jason Dow, will convene in early spring to consider CASA Board of Directors candidates for the August 2022 ballot. The committee will be recommending candidates for four of the twelve elected seats. The Board of Directors is the governing body responsible for policy decisions and oversight of CASA’s Executive Director. Board members are expected to:
- Attend all CASA conferences and the Washington D.C. policy forum
- Participate in monthly board conference/zoom calls and future in-person meetings
- Attend an annual strategic planning session for the association
- Assist in member recruitment and retention
- Represent CASA at events and meetings as requested by the President
CASA attempts to include geographic diversity as well as a balance of agency managers and elected officials on our Board. This year we anticipate the need for a Northern California agency manager and a Southern California agency manager. Ideal candidates will be familiar with CASA as an organization and preferably will have served on or actively participated in CASA workgroups, committees and events.
If you know someone who would be a valuable board member, please send a brief email to nominations@casaweb.org with their name, agency and a few sentences about his or her qualifications. Please send your recommendation by March 11, 2022.
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CASA Awards of Excellence
CASA seeks to recognize members who provide essential public services and go above and beyond to protect public health and the environment. All member agencies and associates are invited to submit an Award of Excellence application by Friday, April 29, 2022. Your organization works hard to do what’s right for California. Recognition from the leading clean water association honors your hard work and accomplishments. It’s a symbol of respect, credibility, and innovation. For more information about the award criteria and categories, please visit the Awards Program Webpage.
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CASA Education Foundation Scholarship Applications
The CASA Education Foundation helps ensure clean water for Californians by awarding scholarships to promising students on a path to serving the environmental community. Does your local college or university know about CASA’s financial aid to students interested in a career in water? The Foundation is accepting scholarship applications through May 15, 2022. For information on how to apply, who is eligible and the scholarship guidelines, visit the website.
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Department of the Interior Begins to Examine Compliance with New Buy American Mandates
The U.S. Department of the Interior (USDOI) recently completed its initial review to determine which Federal Financial Assistance Programs are considered "deficient" for purposes of complying with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) buy American mandates related to manufactured products. Included in its report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is a spreadsheet detailing UDOI's review findings specific to each assistance program. As detailed, USBR's programs are determined to be deficient and thereby will need to be revised to ensure compliance with the law's mandate that only American manufactured products are used when federal assistance is provided to a project. The findings can be viewed here.
This is the first formal statement by a federal agency in the water sector identifying which federal assistance programs are inconsistent with the IIJA's expanded Buy America mandates. Agencies had until last week to submit their reports to OMB on program deficiencies, so it is expected that other agencies will be publishing their report findings over the coming weeks. OMB is expected to issue guidance to federal agencies after reviewing the reports' findings on how the agencies must implement the new mandates.
Earlier this month, CASA sent a joint letter along with fellow water sector stakeholders to OMB and USEPA expressing concerns over how the IIJA's expanded Buy America mandates will adversely impact the water sector.
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USDOI Announces Three New Funding Opportunities
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced three funding opportunities available to help Western communities create or expand clean, new water sources. The selected projects, which include desalination, water reclamation, and reuse projects, will be funded through investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and, when enacted, fiscal year 2022 appropriations. The Notice of Funding Opportunity for each of the three project funding categories can be reviewed here. The notices provide information regarding the type of federal funding award, eligibility requirements, and what is needed to complete and submit applications. Submission deadlines for all three funding categories is March 15, 2022, by 4:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).
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UC Berkeley Wastewater Monitoring Team Makes Data Available to the Public
Since the start of the pandemic, the COVID-WEB team at UC Berkeley, led by Professor Kara Nelson, has been working with public health officials and wastewater agencies to monitor how much SARS-CoV-2 is excreted by people in California communities. Individuals infected with COVID-19 – whether they have symptoms or are asymptomatic -- shed the virus’ genetic material in their feces, so wastewater can provide an accurate signal of how much virus is actually circulating in the community. This information complements COVID-19 case counts by providing a view of infection trends that isn’t biased by access to clinical testing or under-reporting of at-home test results.
COVID-WEB has shared results of wastewater analysis with public health officials from the start of the project, in October of 2020. Now, after a year and a half of refining methods and gaining experience with this new type of data, the information from 11 California counties is available to the public at https://data.covid-web.org/. The website includes an in-depth Frequently Asked Questions section that explains the way wastewater monitoring works. The COVID-WEB team also encourages other researchers to contact them if they want to collaborate on further analyses with the raw data. Media contact: Sasha Harris-Lovett, sharrislovett@berkeley.edu.
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CalOES Mask Program Update
The Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) has re-opened their PPE Distribution program to provide 3ply surgical masks, KN95 respirators, and 16.9oz bottles of hand sanitizer.
Trade associations with a salesforce account should now be able to order these three items as they have before. For any questions on that, please contact Joe Hearn. Joe.hearn@caloes.ca.gov. For a new request, please utilize the attached form and send it back to Joe Hearn – joe.hearn@caloes.ca.gov.
- Basic justification is needed - # of workforce in county, # of small businesses served, etc
- This information will only be used IF they need to audit the program. CalOES will reach out to you if that is necessary.
- 3ply Surgical Masks come in a carton of 2000. Each carton has 40 boxes of 50.
- KN95 Respirators come in a carton of 1260. Each carton has 63 boxes of 20.
- Hand Sanitizer comes with 24 bottles per carton. Each bottle is 16.9 oz.
- You can request up to a 30-day supply.
- The distribution method will be completely up to the Local Organization.
- Please note that they will NOT be advertising your organization as having PPE. Advertisement of your availability is up to your organization.
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Welcome New Associate Members! |
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EPA Grants Award Process Webinar
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites all grant applicants and grant recipients to attend a Grants Award Process Webinar on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, from 2:00-3:30 pm ET. Hosted by EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment, this high-level webinar will cover topics related to finding and applying for grants as well as the basics of managing a grant award. Advance registration is required.
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Save the Date: Partnering for Impact in California 2022
Join us on April 11, 2022, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm for a joint CASA/CWEA workshop: Partnering for Impact in California. This workshop will allow attendees to explore new technologies that advance emerging solutions to address wastewater, biosolids and solid waste challenges in California and gain a better understanding of how to implement these strategies into on-the-ground programs at both small and large agencies throughout the state. Some of the State’s key goals for water quality and solids management that impact the wastewater community are:
- Reduce carbon emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
- Reduction in organic waste disposal in landfills 75 percent below 2014 levels by 2025.
- Emerging PFAS and Nutrient Water Quality Objectives.
While the mission-critical function of water and wastewater services remains constant, the tools used to maintain consistent levels of service must evolve to meet these new systemic challenges and high-performance expectations.
This one-day workshop, co-hosted by CASA and CWEA, will bring together thought leaders, decision makers, project managers, and plant operators to create an open discussion around innovation in the wastewater sector in California. The audience will engage in moderated discussions around each topic introduced by our speakers. Keep an eye out for a registration link in upcoming editions of Connects.
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ACT Expo
CASA is proud to endorse the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo on May 9-12, 2022, in Long Beach, CA. The advanced clean transportation sector continues to grow at a breakneck pace, rapidly rising to the occasion through ongoing innovation. Every year, ACT Expo attendees receive unmatched educational opportunities on the latest trends, policies, technologies, and opportunities in clean tech transportation. The 2022 agenda will enable attendees to:
- Learn from large-scale real-world fleet applications of low- and zero-emission vehicles across numerous applications
- Access the tools to support environmental, social, and governance (ESG) finance and the opportunities it affords
- Explore new charging and low-emission fuel technologies, such as DC fast charging, biofuels, and hydrogen, and how they plan to address the challenges in diverse vehicle applications
- Understand important climate and environmental policy developments being driven by the federal, state, and local agency commitments
- Discover financial incentives to reduce total cost of ownership for advanced clean vehicles
CASA members can receive a $50 discount when registering by using the code: 22CASAD50 (enter the code when registering for ACT Expo 2022 on the payment page).
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CASA represents more than 125 local public agencies engaged in the collection, treatment and recycling of Wastewater and biosolids to protect public health and the environment. Our mission is to provide trusted information and advocacy on behalf of California clean water agencies, and to be a leader in sustainability and utilization of renewable resources. |
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