Water resources are central to the United States' health and economic and environmental well-being. The primary responsibility for managing the nation's vital water resources is properly vested with the states.  Governors believe the nation should continue its commitment to make all its waters fishable and swimmable and to protect sources of drinking water while ensuring that states manage and conduct the vast majority of water protection activities with the federal government supporting and overseeing the states.  One key water resource issue is drought which occurs somewhere in the United States every year and has broad impacts on our nation's economy and the environment, far beyond those areas experiencing actual drought conditions.

NGA Position

Funding: NGA policy urges Congress to provide sufficient capitalization grants and resources for administering both the Clean Water SRF and the Drinking Water SRF.  The Clean Water SRF should be amended to provide states with the authority to exercise greater flexibility to recognize communities with special needs and use SRF loans to finance them.  The Drinking Water SRF should be amended to eliminate the dollar-for-dollar match requirement of the 10 percent program management set-asides.  EPA should continue to allow states to use the proceeds from state issued bonds to satisfy state fund match requirements if a state so desires.

Regulatory:  States should have the flexibility to develop plans for attaining federally approved water quality standards in impaired waters.  Further, governors support a federal CAFO program that ensures states have the maximum flexibility to implement state CAFO programs. Governors call for a comprehensive federal effort to better characterize the occurrence, health effects and treatment/management of emerging contaminants.
State-issued Clean Water Act permits should not be subjected to federal ESA section 7 consultations, as section 7 applies solely to federal actions.  Additionally, the federal government needs to work closely with states to plan for and manage the effects of global climate change on surface and grounds waters.

Drinking Water:  The appropriate role for states lies in implementing safe drinking water programs, managing surface and groundwater resources and monitoring and setting standards based on highest priority health determinations. States need maximum freedom to focus on outcomes rather than process and to prioritize workloads to address the highest health needs first. Any major drinking water regulation should demonstrate that its benefits will justify its costs, considering the full range of qualitative and quantitative costs and benefits.

Drought
Governors also call for the creation of a well-designed and implemented drought preparedness program that could reduce the need for federal emergency assistance in drought-impacted areas. Preparedness must become the cornerstone of national drought policy. These measures should include drought planning, risk management, water conservation, consideration of environmental concerns and public education.  Additionally, federal, state and local programs must be integrated and led by states to maximize efficiency and timeliness of emergency relief.  Governors request continued support and expansion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service's State Fire Assistance and Volunteer Fire Assistance programs that provide needed matching federal funds for local wildland fire protection.

Official NGA Policy

• NR-03. Water Resource Management
• NR-27. Drought

Committee Letters

• NGA Letter on Appropriations for the State Revolving Loan Programs
  May 28, 2008 letter (from the executive directors of the Big Seven state and local government organizations) to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Byrd and Ranking Member Cochran and House Appropriations Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Lewis to express strong support for the clean water and safe drinking water state revolving loan funds (SRF).

• NGA Letter on Appropriations for the State Revolving Loan Programs
  May 9, 2008 letter (from Governor Manchin and Governor Palin) to Senate Appropriations Chair Byrd, Ranking Member Cochran, House Appropriations Chair Obey, and Ranking Member Lewis urging maximum funding for the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water state revolving loan funds (SRFs).

• NGA Letter on Appropriations for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Program
  June 15, 2007 letter (from Governor Huntsman and Governor Richardson) to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment Chair Feinstein and Ranking Member Craig, and to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Lewis requesting that the fiscal year 2008 Interior appropriations bill provides adequate funding for clean water and drinking water programs along with State and Local Air Quality Management grants.

• NGA Letter Regarding Revisions to the EPA Drinking Water Affordability Guidance
  April 23, 2007 letter (from Governor Huntsman and Governor Richardson) to U.S. EPA Administrator Steven Johnson on EPA's proposed revisions to the Agency's drinking water affordability guidance.

• NGA Letter on Appropriations for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Program
  May 4, 2006 letter (from Governor Manchin and Governor Huntsman) to House Appropriations Committee leadership requesting that funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) and State and Local Air Quality Management Grant be restored to fiscal year 2004 levels.

• NGA Letter on Appropriations for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Program
  May 4, 2006 letter (from Governor Manchin and Governor Huntsman) to Senate Appropriations Committee leadership requesting that funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF) and State and Local Air Quality Management Grant be restored to fiscal year 2004 levels.

• NGA Letter on Appropriations Opposing a Rescission of funds for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Program
  November 14, 2005 letter (from the executive directors of NGA, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of Counties, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, and the International City/County Management Association) to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Cochran/Ranking Member Byrd and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior Chairman Burns/Ranking Member Dorgan opposing a proposed $166 million rescission of funds from the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (identical letter also sent to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Inhofe/Ranking Member Jeffords, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Lewis/Ranking Member Obey, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior Chairman Taylor/Ranking Member Dicks, and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Young/Ranking Member Oberstar)

• NGA Letter on Appropriations for the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Program
  May 26, 2005 letter (from Governor Murkowski and Governor Freudenthal) to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies Chairman Burns and Ranking Member Dorgan urging adequate funding of the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (SRF), Stateside Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and State Wildlife and Endangered Species Grant Programs for Fiscal Year 2006.

• NGA Letter Regarding the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act  
  April 27, 2004 letter (from Ray Scheppach, NGA) to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water Subcommittee urging them to consider legislative improvements to the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Loan Funds.