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Sarah Deslauriers Takes on a New Role as Director of Air, Climate and Energy Programs!
We are thrilled to share some exciting news with the CASA membership. Sarah Deslauriers, CASA’s long-time climate change program consultant, has officially joined the CASA team as a full-time team member! In her new capacity, Sarah will assume the role of Director of Air, Climate and Energy (ACE) Programs. Sarah’s expertise and dedication have been evident throughout her time working with CASA as a consultant, and we believe that her transition to a full-time role will significantly enhance CASA’s advocacy capabilities in the critical areas of air, climate and energy programs.
As Director of Air, Climate and Energy Programs, Sarah will be responsible for leading and overseeing the ACE Workgroup as well all activities related to Air, Climate Change and Energy. In recent years, Sarah has played a crucial role in CASA’s work on several initiatives at the California Air Resources Board, including the Advanced Clean Fleets rule and air toxics pooled emission study. She has also been an important resource on matters related to sea level rise and climate change impacts on local agencies.
Please join us in welcoming Sarah to her new role. We are confident that her leadership will bring fresh perspectives, insights, and a wealth of experience to our team. We are excited about the future of CASA and we look forward to the great accomplishments that lie ahead!
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Get to Know CASA Staff: Sarah Deslauriers
Sarah’s 22-year career began as a research associate for the Center for Sustainable Systems of the University of Michigan (U-M) performing life cycle assessments of wastewater treatment plants and supporting development of U-M’s first Environmental Reporting System. She then served over 18 years as a licensed consulting engineer at Carollo Engineers where she was their Climate Change Specialist, and eventually becoming a Vice President and the first Director of the newly established Resilience & Sustainability Practice.
Since 2016, Sarah also served as CASA’s Climate Change Program Manager, and the Program Manager for the California Wastewater Climate Change Group from 2013 to 2016, representing the state’s wastewater sector perspectives on climate change issues to local, state and federal agencies. Sarah holds a BS and MS in Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Science, a MSE in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, and a graduate certificate in the Program of Industrial Ecology from the University of Michigan.
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2024 Washington D.C. Policy Forum Recap
Thank you to all who joined us in the nation’s capital to hear from distinguished speakers and participate in visits with our California Representatives and their staff! During the CASA Policy Forum in Washington D.C., we heard from congressional staff, national water association leaders and other policy experts on what to expect in 2024. We have already received wonderful feedback about this year’s event and hope all those who attended left feeling informed, inspired, and ready to tackle the new year! Many of the presentations and materials will be available on the CASA website. As always, we were proud to advocate on behalf of CASA member agencies to advance clean water priorities. It’s never too early to save the date for the next CASA Conference, which will be held on July 31 – August 2, 2024, in Monterey.
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Apply Now for CASA's Prestigious Award of Excellence
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. CASA seeks to recognize members who provide essential public services and go above and beyond to protect public health and the environment. We invite all member agencies and associates to submit an Award of Excellence application by Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The recipients of these awards will be announced and celebrated during CASA's Annual Conference in August. Your commitment deserves to be highlighted, and we look forward to recognizing your outstanding contributions. 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 and energize the future of the clean water sector 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 17, 2024. For information on how to apply, who is eligible and the scholarship guidelines, visit the website.
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CASA Agency Salary Survey
CASA would like to encourage your agency’s participation in the annual Agency Salary and Benefits Survey. The survey provides valuable information for our members. The more responses we receive, the more accurate the statistical summary we can create. If your agency participated previously, your data is important for those agencies that use benchmarks. For those of you who have not participated in recent surveys, or have never participated, you will find this information very helpful when conducting a salary classification and review. Monterey One Water has again graciously volunteered to coordinate and produce the survey report. We look forward to providing as much comprehensive benefit information as possible with the distribution of the results. Please complete the survey by April 29. Survey Attached
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If you have questions related to state legislative updates, please contact Jessica Gauger. | |
CASA Takes Positions on 2024 Legislation
The CASA State Legislative Committee met on March 8th to review and take positions on bills of interest that have been introduced in the 2024 Legislative Session. All bills were required to be introduced by February 17th and are now in the process of being referred to the relevant policy committees for review and hearing. Over the next several weeks all bills need to be heard and passed in the policy committee process leading up to the final April 26th deadline.
For a full list of bill positions that CASA has taken, please click here. To sign up to receive the CASA State Legislative Committee monthly newsletter please contact Spencer Saks.
Several bills will take top priority in CASA’s advocacy efforts for the year, including the following:
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If you have questions related to federal updates, please contact Sarah Sapirstein. | |
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President Transmits Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request
On the heels of Congress averting a government shutdown, the Administration transmitted its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Request to Congress on March 11. Totaling $7.3 trillion, the transmittal of the President’s budget request to Congress marks the official start of the appropriations process to develop FY2025 spending bills. However, while the document identifies the Administration’s policy priorities for the next fiscal year, historically, congressional appropriators largely ignore the Budget Request’s allocations and develop their own spending levels. The 2025 fiscal year starts on October 1.
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Senate Committee To Review PFAS CERCLA Designation Consequences
On March 20, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will host a hearing to examine the issue of consequences of designating PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances under CERCLA, otherwise known as Superfund. The hearing announcement will be posted to the committee’s hearing webpage ahead of March 20. It will be livestreamed at https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/home.
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Sign up for CASA’s Regulatory Updates
CASA’s Regulatory Workgroup regularly puts together a comprehensive e-newsletter to share all regulatory updates on key issues and workgroup initiatives with the CASA membership. If you are interested in receiving these regulatory updates, please contact Jared Voskuhl. The latest edition is available here.
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Increasing Onsite Energy Production at NapaSan
NapaSan is always working to maximize resource recovery as part of the wastewater treatment process. In addition to water recycling and biosolids reuse, NapaSan is continually striving to produce as much green energy as possible at their facility. The biogas produced from the solid materials that come into the facility coupled with fats, oils, and grease from restaurants is used to generate about 40% of the electricity used at their facility. The 1-megawatt solar power array at the treatment plant produces another 10% of the energy needed to power the treatment process, which means an average of 50% of NapaSan’s electricity needs are met by onsite energy production.
Last year, NapaSan signed an energy services agreement with DG Linear West I, LLC a NextEra Energy company. The agreement included construction and installation of a new Mainspring Linear Generator. The linear generator was installed at the end of December and will be operable in the spring of 2024. The linear generator will run on biogas produced in the digester and provide additional renewable energy to power the plant while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Women in Water Connected Series
Registration is open for NACWA’s Core Leadership Women in Water ConnectEd Series! This three-part virtual series is designed to empower women in the water sector who want to reignite professional goals that may have taken a backseat but are now ready for pursuit. Whether you're aiming to reset a professional aspiration or refine your focus, this series is your platform for growth. Connect with women in water nationwide as you explore strategies for staying laser-focused on your chosen goal while prioritizing self-care and other competing demands. Participants will also gain a support network to hold you accountable and help you cross the finish line. The enrollment deadline is April 11. Don’t wait – view more information and register today!
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St. Patrick’s Day
"May your pipes flow smoothly, your filters be ever clear, and the luck of the Irish keep your wastewater treatment plant in the greenest condition this St. Patrick's Day!" 🍀💧
- Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Lucky the Leprechaun!
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World Water Day
Every year, World Water Day (22 March) raises awareness and inspires action to tackle the water and sanitation crisis. It is a United Nations observance, coordinated by UN-Water and led by one or more UN-Water Members and Partners with a related mandate. In 2024, the theme of World Water Day is ‘Leveraging water for peace’ and the name of the World Water Development Report is ‘Leveraging Water for Peace and Prosperity’. The World Water Day campaign is simply called ‘Water for Peace.’ Check out an array of resources available on the UN Water webpage.
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2024 CWEA Annual Conference and Expo
Be sure to register today for the 2024 CWEA Annual conference and expo, April 9 – April 12 in Sacramento, for a chance to hear from CASA’s Greg Kester sharing updates on SB 1383 implementation along with many other great topics and speakers! See the conference webpage for more information: CWEA AC24
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Save the Date - PFI Event
Save the date for the CWEA and CASA Partnering for Impact (PFI) event happening on June 4, 2024, from 8:00am in Irvine, CA. The goal of Partnering for Impact is to build stronger utility, university, and industry collaborations for innovation and find areas where we can create a positive impact together.
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CASA represents more than 135 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. | | | | |
