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WaterNews for July 16, 1998WaterNews is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water. Inside this week's WaterNews: 1) Clean Water Action Plan UpdateStates and federal agencies are finding that Unified Watershed Assessments can
ensure more efficient use of federal resources by highlighting high priority areas where
work should be coordinated. Unified assessments are on track in most states for public
review in August, and will be a valuable tool for restoring impaired waters. If funded,
additional new resources requested in the President's 1999 Budget will support efforts
to restore those watersheds. Federal departments and agencies are setting a high
priority on funding for the Clean water Action Plan, and some House and Senate
appropriations committees have proposed to fund significant portions of the Action
Plan. While funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the
Interior is currently significantly below requested levels, funding for EPA and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is likely to be closer to levels
proposed in the President's Budget. For a status report on the appropriations process
relative to the Clean Water Action Plan, visit the Internet at
http://www.epa.gov/cleanwater/progress/budget.htm 2) EPA Advances Clean Water Action Plan Goals for Fish Consumption SafetyRobert Perciasepe, Assistant Administrator for Water, and Lynn Goldman, Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention and Toxic Substances recently sent letters concerning fish consumption advisories to the heads of all State Environmental Agencies, State Public Health Agencies, and Natural Resource Management Agencies, and to the leaders of all tribes that operate the national water program. The letters are the next step in implementing the Clean Water Action Plan's goal to have nationally consistent processes for monitoring fish tissue and communicating fish consumption advisories. The letters emphasize the importance of a risk-based fish consumption advisory program to protecting public health, especially the health of women of child- bearing age, children, and people who for economic or cultural reasons eat large amounts of locally-caught fish. It asks the states and tribes to review their existing fish advisory program and compare it to the EPA's National Guidance on Fish Consumption Advisories. The mailing also includes a camera-ready and electronic copy of the brochure "Should I Eat the Fish I Catch? A Guide to Healthy Eating of the Fish I Catch," developed by EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, United States Public Health Service. For more information, contact Jeff Bigler at 202-260-1305. 3) Congress Invites EPA Official to Testify on Coastal ProtectionRobert Wayland, Director of EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on July 9, 1998. The testimony reviews progress made in protecting coastal waters, including development of the National Estuary Program, and provides EPA's perspective on several bills related to coastal waters. The testimony is available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/testimony/9807.html.Please forward this message to your friends and colleagues who share an interest in water-related issues and would like to hear from EPA's Office of Water. To subscribe to the WaterNews listserve:
A welcome message will appear in your email box once you are officially subscribed. WaterNews will be sent to you at the end of each week. If you encounter difficulties subscribing to this list server or if you would like to be taken off the WaterNews list server at any time, please send your E-mail address to Gloria Posey at Posey.Gloria@epa.gov.
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