EPA Releases 2018 Year in Review
Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released their 2018 Year in Review outlining the agency’s actions over the last year. In his comments, Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler focused on the 13 major deregulatory actions the Agency finalized, the deletion of all or part of 22 sites from Superfund’s National Priorities List, and continued work to protect the nation’s water supply and improve air quality.
The major accomplishments highlighted in the report for water include:
- Issuing the New Waters of the U.S. Definition
- Closing seven WIFIA loans totaling nearly $2 billion to help finance over $4 billion for water infrastructure projects and create up to 6,000 jobs
- Continuing work to update the lead and copper rule for the first time in two decades
- Hosting the PFAS National Leadership Summit and PFAS listening sessions in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Colorado, North Carolina, Michigan, and Kansas
- Releasing draft toxicity assessments for GenX chemicals and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) for public input.
The report also highlights the accomplishments of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), which “committed $2.8 billion in drinking water infrastructure loans and refinancing and disbursed $2.5 billion for drinking water infrastructure to improve the nation’s public health. In addition, the DWSRF committed $194 million for prevention-focused activities supporting drinking water systems’ technical, managerial, and financial capacity, as well as operator certification and source water protection.” Additionally, the report includes accomplishments from each of the 10 EPA regions.
