AMWA’s 2015 Water Policy Conference will feature a top Washington observer, the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and key Capitol Hill lawmakers. Scheduled for March 22-25 in Washington, D.C., the meeting will also host interactive discussions on water reuse guidelines, Lead and Copper Rule revisions and EPA's new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan program.
Headlining the conference will be Bob Woodward, Pulitzer Prize-winning associate editor of The Washington Post, who will discuss where recent presidential administrations have gone right and wrong in policymaking and will highlight what to look for as President Obama and congressional Republicans stake out their positions in the coming year.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will deliver the keynote address on EPA's efforts to help the nation's water utilities improve water quality and quantity, upgrade infrastructure and build resilience in the face of a changing climate. Peter Grevatt, Director of the EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, will provide an update on regulatory actions to expect in 2015 and beyond.
Confirmed guests from Capitol Hill will discuss water issues on the Congressional agenda: House Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and Ranking Member Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), House Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) and Ranking Member Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The interactive sessions will offer opportunities for participants to ask specific questions and provide direct feedback to decision makers at EPA. In addition, three sessions are scheduled featuring management subjects of interest to water utility CEOs: Mark Kim of DC Water on innovative financing strategies, Mark LeChevallier of American Water on the business case for aggressive innovation, and Steven Bonafonte of Pullman and Comley on liabilities that may arise from cybersecurity breaches.
Register for the 2015 Water Policy Conference at www.amwa.net/2015WPC.