Washington Report – November 6, 2023

CRSW Nov. 13 to 17—Register for Kickoff Webinar

Crash Responder Safety Week (CRSW) is recognized this year Nov. 13 to 17;
A kickoff webinar is scheduled for 2:00 pm ET on Nov. 13 to honor the work of first responders—register here to watch
APWA is a member of the Executive Leadership Group for Traffic Incident Management supported by the Federal Highway Administration;
APWA will be promoting events and activities happening all week through social media channels on X (formerly Twitter) @APWAGOVAFFAIRS and LinkedIn APWA Gov Affairs;
If you are hosting a CRSW event, please be sure to share pictures and details on social media and tag APWA.

EPA Announces Allocations for $48 Million Grant Program to Protect Groundwater Resources and Address Climate Change

The EPA announced grant allocations for states and Tribes to tap into $48,250,000 in funding to develop and implement Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI programs;
The funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will be allocated evenly among 25 interested states and Tribes, with an allotment of $1,930,000 for each program with 100% of federal funding provided as grants with no state match requirement;
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, Class VI programs ensure groundwater resources are protected while supporting the permanent sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this is consistent with EPA’s mission to protect the environment and public health, to further this EPA released a Memorandum on Environmental Justice Guidance for Class VI Permitting and Primacy;
EPA is supporting state and tribal efforts to obtain primacy (primary responsibility) for implementing and enforcing their UIC Class VI program and to develop UIC Class VI programs that incorporate environmental justice and equity as core principles;
25 states and Tribes submitted letters of intent and are now eligible for the grant funding: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming;
EPA is also releasing the Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI Wells Grant Program Implementation document to provide states and Tribes with information on how to apply for and use this funding, the implementation document describes requirements for grantees to implement programs, including specific actions designed to advance environmental justice in overburdened and undeserved communities.

APWA Partner Agency Releases Emergency Management White Paper

Last week, the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), an APWA partner, released a white paper titled “Empowering Emergency Managers to Meet Current and Emerging Threats”;
Information within the document includes recommendations on addressing and enhancing
- Resilience related to cyber-attacks
- Disaster preparedness and planning
- Public awareness and education.

CISA Releases 2023 Critical Infrastructure and Resilience Month Toolkit

Last week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) disseminated their 2023 Critical Infrastructure and Resilience Month guide;
The 2023 toolkit includes recommendations and hints that include
- Assessing your organization’s risks
- Making and implementing a plan
- Participating in training or exercises to improve security and resilience
- Encouraging stakeholders, and state, local, tribal, and territorial government counterparts to learn about critical infrastructure dependencies.