“Now, with the most recent continuing resolution set to expire on December 16, we need to act quickly to keep the government operating. Beyond that, it’s imperative that we finish these Appropriations bills to get our government agencies and departments the funding they need and to assure our citizens that the government will continue to provide the services and programs they rely on. The most basic duty of Congress is to provide necessary funding for the core functions of government – including our national defense.

With these nine bills, we all recognize the need to make smart choices on how we spend our precious but limited tax dollars. We are sticking to the spending rate agreed to under the Budget Control Act – $1.043 trillion for the fiscal year – and providing funding at levels proportionate to the effectiveness of the program, the quality of the service and the importance to the taxpayer.

All told, we are on track to reduce overall discretionary spending by nearly $93 billion compared to Fiscal Year 2010 – continuing the downward trend towards accountable, responsible levels that will help address our deficits and spur economic growth and job creation.

In addition, we lived up to our promise to include absolutely no earmarks in any appropriations bills this year.

Although we were not entirely able to get through these bills in regular order, I am proud of the work of our Subcommittees thus far. I believe we’ve successfully laid the groundwork for a more complete and open Appropriations process next year.

It is our hope and expectation that we will have a final agreement on this must-pass legislation by next week. So many months after we began this appropriations cycle, it’s time to finish it. After all, Fiscal Year 2013 is right around the corner.”

Congressman Davis said, “The point of the REINS Act is accountability.  Each member of Congress must take a stand and be accountable for regulations that will have the greatest impact on our economy.  Regulatory compliance costs small businesses an estimated $10,500 per employee annually.  At a time of high unemployment, we must do something about this massive burden.  No longer would Congress be able to avoid accountability by writing vague laws requiring the benefits up front and leaving the unpopular or costly elements up to the bureaucrats who will write those elements of the law at some later date. 

“I want to thank all of the supporters of the REINS Act, especially Speaker Boehner, Chairman Smith, Senator Paul, and the over 200 co-sponsors for their tireless efforts to advance this commonsense legislation.” 

Speaker of the House John Boehner said, “Passage of the REINS Act is a significant step towards fulfilling our obligations to the American people outlined in the Pledge to America.  The REINS Act will make the regulatory process more open and accountable, and rein in unelected bureaucrats from strangling small businesses in red tape, which will give private sector job creators the confidence they need to grow our economy and hire.”

House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith said, “More than once this year, the President has talked about the dangers that excessive regulations pose to our economy.  But unfortunately, his actions speak louder than his words. The Obama administration is preparing numerous regulations that each will cost the economy $1 billion or more per year. 

“The American people want job creation, not more regulation.  The REINS Act reins in out-of-control federal regulations that burden America’s businesses and job creators.  It guarantees that Congress – not unelected agency officials – will be accountable for all new major regulatory costs.”

Background:

The REINS Act would require an up-or-down, standalone vote in Congress and the President’s signature on all new major rules before they can be enforced on the American people, job-creating small businesses, or State and local governments.  Major rules are those that have an annual economic impact of $100 million or more.

Congressman Davis originally introduced the REINS Act during the 111^th Congress, and reintroduced the bill in the 112^th Congress as H.R. 10, which has the bipartisan support of over 200 co-sponsors.  Senator Rand Paul [KY] introduced the companion bill in the Senate as S. 299, which currently has the bipartisan support of 31 co-sponsors.

More than 30 organizations have endorsed the REINS Act.  Click here to view a complete list and read letters of support.

To learn more about the REINS Act, visit: http://geoffdavis.house.gov/REINS. 

Funds Available for Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Projects

FRANKFORT, Ky.– Governor Steve Beshear today announced $1.8 million in grants are available for projects in Kentucky to help clean up polluted streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater and for projects that protect water resources.

“Protection of our water resources is fundamental to our environment, our economy and good public health,” Gov. Beshear said. “These grants will fund efforts to help control pollution from sediment, pesticides and other substances that run off our land when it rains.”

The grants are for watershed restoration projects and for watershed implementation plan development, as well as for other projects that reduce and prevent runoff pollution.

Runoff pollution, also known as nonpoint source pollution (NPS), is the No. 1 contributor to water pollution in Kentucky, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the impaired rivers, streams and lakes in the state. Runoff pollution occurs when water runs across the land and carries sediment, nutrients, pesticides, metals and animal and human waste into streams, rivers and groundwater. 

The Kentucky Division of Water (DOW) administers the federal NPS grants, which are funded through Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act. The funds are provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and can be used to pay for up to 60 percent of the total cost for each project; a 40 percent nonfederal match is required.

The DOW gives priority to projects involving watershed-based plan development and implementation in impaired waters, as well as protection of Special Use Waters (e.g., cold water aquatic habitat, exceptional waters, state wild rivers and federal wild and scenic rivers) with identified threats.

To be considered for this competitive 2011 funding, a project proposal form must be submitted to DOW by Feb. 3, 2012. The DOW NPS staff will review the project proposals and rank them according to eligibility and priority criteria to determine if they warrant further consideration and formal applications. Grant applications will be accepted by invitation only from entities identified through the proposal process.

The project proposal form, along with supporting documents, can be found at http://water.ky.gov/Funding/Pages/NonpointSource.aspx.  Proposals may also be submitted throughout the year for NPS program staff review and consideration for a future grant cycle.

For more information, contact Jim Roe at 502-564-3410 or James.Roe@ky.gov.

House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers today applauded the passage of the Conference Report on the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/Science, and Transportation/Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bills – also known as the “Mini-bus” (House Report 112-284). The report passed on a vote of 298-121.

The conference report reduces base discretionary spending by $757 million below last year, funds a variety of federal programs and agencies, including the food and drug safety, federal law enforcement, scientific research, and infrastructure, and provides much-needed disaster recovery assistance. In addition, the legislation includes a Continuing Resolution that will keep the government operating until December 16.

“This bill keeps us on track to reduce discretionary spending for the second year in a row – an historic achievement that breaks the trend of ballooning federal spending. The legislation also makes significant strides to rein in excessive government regulations that put unnecessary drag on our economic recovery and job growth,” Chairman Rogers said. “After difficult but successful negotiations with our Senate counterparts, we were able to produce this compromise bill – the first appropriations conference report in two years. This legislation represents the kind of hard but necessary decisions that will help get our government on a more sustainable financial path, and will put us one step forward as we work to complete the remaining funding bills for the year.”

Kentucky is in the process of converting from the old EPA system of PCS to ICIS, which means that in the near future Kentucky’s regulated community will have the opportunity to use NetDMR to electronically submit DMRs.

To prepare permittees to use this new process, EPA is offering free NetDMR training webinars  To register for the NetDMR online training, send an email to netdmr@epa.gov and cheryl_edwards@ky.gov. Please register as soon as possible because space in these webinars is limited. Conference call and webinar instructions will be sent a few days prior to the training.  Participants can access the training from any location that has a phone, computer and Internet connection.

To learn more about NetDMR and the online training, visit http://www.epa.gov/netdmr.  Before participating in the online training, please review the Permittee and Data Provider User Guide. 

NetDMR Information Brochure

The next two-day training session will be held on Jan. 10 and Jan. 12, 2012.

Topics covered on Jan. 10, 2012:

• Introduction to NetDMR
• How to Create an Account
• How to Manage Access

 Topics covered on Jan. 12, 2012:

• Data entry of DMRs
• Importing DMRs
• Official Copy of Record

Under the agreement, HCWD1 will operate and maintain the distribution systems and will contract with Louisville Water to operate Fort Knox’s two water treatment plants, both of which are located on the military post. Employees of the Fort Knox water system will transition to positions at HCWD 1 and Louisville Water.

“We are excited about this opportunity to partner with Louisville Water in meeting the water supply needs of Fort Knox,” said Hardin County Judge Executive, Harry L. Berry. “The collaborative effort with HCWD1 and Louisville Water to improve, maintain and operate Fort Knox’s water system in a cost efficient manner will allow the military to focus on its core missions while utilizing civilian expertise to provide utility services.”

The announcement culminates a more than three‐year effort by HCWD1 and Louisville Water in response to a request for proposals from the Department of Defense in 2007. The Fort Knox water system includes two pre‐World War II era water treatment plants, 154 miles of water main, elevated storage tanks, fire hydrants and pumping stations.

Currently, the system serves approximately 40,000 people living and working on the military base. The treatment plants produce two million gallons of drinking water daily. The U.S. Government will retain ownership of the Fort Knox water sources which include a well field in Westpoint and the McCracken Spring.

“We look forward to assisting HCWD1 in providing a reliable, abundant supply of safe drinking water to the growing Fort Knox and Hardin County area,” said Greg Heitzman, President and CEO of Louisville Water. “We have developed a strong partnership with HCWD1 that will serve this region for decades to come.”

The partnership also includes over $28 million in system improvements for the Fort Knox system that will be funded under the agreement with the Department of Defense. The operating costs of the Fort Knox system will have no impact on water rates for customers of HCWD1 and Louisville Water.

For more information about the Fort Knox privatization, contact Jim Bruce, HCWD 1 at 270‐351‐x3222 or Kelley Dearing Smith, Lousiville Water at 502.569.3695.

###

ABOUT HCWD No. 1

HCWD No. 1 serves approximately 10,000 customers in the City of Radcliff and northwest Hardin County and provides wholesale water to the City of Vine Grove and Meade County Water District. The district also operates the Fort Knox sanitary and storm sewer systems and the City of Radcliff’s sanitary sewer system. HCWD1 continues to receive recognition for its excellence in operations, along with Veolia Water. This year, HCWD1 received awards recognizing its Pirtle Spring Water Treatment plant, as well as both Wastewater Treatment Plants operated by Veolia Water (Fort Knox and Radcliff).

ABOUT LOUISVILLE WATER

Louisville Water provides an abundant supply of drinking water to over 850,000 people in Louisville Metro and parts of Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Bullitt and Nelson counties. On average, the company produces 127 million gallons of water per day. Louisville Water began operations in 1860 as Kentucky’s first public water provider and in 2008 was recognized as America’s “Best Tasting Tap Water” by the American Water Works Association. In 2011, the American Society of Civil Engineers recognized Louisville Water as having the “Outstanding Civil Engineering Project in the World” for its riverbank filtration program.

Contact:    Alan Vilines, General Manager

270-842-0052, ext. 550; alanv@warrenwater.com

WARREN WATER ANNOUNCES NEW MANAGER OF ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION

BOWLING GREEN, KY – John Dix has joined the Warren County Water District as Manager of Engineering and Construction. In this position, Dix will be responsible for system planning, design and construction for Warren, Butler and Simpson County Water Districts.  Dix was previously employed at the water districts from 1992 to 2001 as Project Engineer and then Manager of Operations.

Dix’s engineering career has also included employment as the City Engineer of Bartlett, TN and Structural Engineer for submarines with the Department of the Navy. Dix worked at the Memphis consulting firm of Allen & Hoshall before moving to Knoxville in 2005 to work for Cannon & Cannon, Inc., a regional engineering firm with offices in Knoxville, Louisville, Bowling Green and Nashville, where he most recently held the position of Vice President.

“My family and I are excited to be coming back home,” says John. “We are blessed to have an opportunity to return to the area that has always had a place in our heart. It will be great to serve the folks in Warren, Butler and Simpson Counties again.”

General Manager Alan Vilines is excited to welcome Dix back.  “We are very fortunate that John will be rejoining our company,” says Vilines. “His broad water and wastewater system experience, plus his extensive knowledge of our community and facilities make him a very valuable addition to our team.”

Dix holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech.

MORE

Warren Water Announces New Manager of Engineering & Construction

About Warren County Water District

Warren Water is a public water and wastewater utility serving 25,000 water and 4,500 wastewater customers throughout Warren County.  There are over 1,100 miles of water mains in the Warren Water service area, which spans 530 square miles.  The Warren Water sewer system includes over 150 miles of sewer lines.

The National Rural Water Association held the 2011 H2O-XPO October 4-6 in Louisville.  The H20-XPO is a partnership between the National Rural Water Association and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. The event offered over 80 educational sessions, 1,000 exhibits and 30 acres of equipment, including hands-on demonstrations. The partnership is designed to bring together water & wastewater utility systems, big and small, municipal and rural, operations, management and governance to create the only event of its kind. H2O-XPO is designed to meet the increasing needs of water, wastewater and municipal operations in products, services, equipment and education.

Louisville, Kentucky (PRWEB) October 10, 2011

The just-held ICUEE 2011 was a tremendous success, attracting nearly 16,600 registered attendees to make it the second largest in show history. More than 800 exhibitors took more than 1.1 million net square feet for product displays and extensive hands-on equipment demonstrations in job-like conditions.

The 2011 International Construction and Utility Equipment Exposition (ICUEE) was held October 4-6, 2011 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

“We’re very pleased and gratified by industry support of the show with these strong numbers during a still-recovering economy. Despite some uncertain market conditions, our industry is looking ahead to be ready for future business,” stated Show Director Melissa Magestro.

Registrants came from all 50 states, all 10 Canadian provinces and more than 40 other countries worldwide.

“ICUEE was the place to be for industry professionals seeking the equipment and technologies they need to succeed in the changing marketplace,” Magestro added.

ICUEE 2011 offered a broader scope of education than ever before to extend the value of the show experience, and expanded industry co-locations increased participants’ return on their trade show investment.

Returning to ICUEE were the H2O-XPO of the National Rural Water Association and the iP Safety Conference and Expo. The Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP) sponsored a new Fleet Management Exhibit Pavilion and also developed a show education track for fleet management professionals.

A Sustainable Energy Pavilion highlighted “green” technology. The importance of jobsite safety was underscored in the iP Safety Arena at ICUEE and a new Safety Zone from the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).

“Trade shows provide invaluable face-to-face contact and access to the leading companies and their products all in one place. And, ICUEE’s equipment demos are the ultimate in comparison shopping,” Magestro added.

ICUEE’s popular online New Products & Technologies Preview returned, with special booth floor mats on the show floor to identify participating companies. Many exhibitors also signed up for the new online Technical Experts Directory, which alerted attendees to the many industry experts onsite ready to discuss specific job performance needs with them. These programs and the online Show Planner exhibitor listings will remain on the show website for the next several months.

Also known as The Demo Expo, the biennial ICUEE is geared to industry professionals in the electric, phone and cable, sewer and water, gas, general construction, landscaping and public works sectors. For more information, visit http://www.icuee.com.