Tracking public engagement with SRF Intended Use Plans
EPIC and our partners are tracking public engagement on State Revolving Funds (SRFs). Specifically, EPIC is tracking what advocates recommend regarding the policies that dictate how a state will allocate SRF assistance and the projects that states intend to finance with SRFs.
The Problem
This tracking sheet documents advocates’ public comments, testimonies, meetings, and other types of engagement with state SRF administrators.
The investment into the Clean Water and Drinking Water SRFs provides a historic opportunity to invest in water infrastructure in small and historically disadvantaged communities, many of whom have not received SRF assistance in the past. As such, advocates are focusing on SRFs as an important solution to water infrastructure challenges.
The Solution
EPIC’s goal in tracking advocate engagement is to share information about who is engaged, where, and on what; to identify gaps in advocacy; and to help organizations learn from peers. The tracking sheet aims to minimize duplicated efforts and to streamline advocacy approaches. Collaboration among advocates helps advance policy reforms, as evidenced by collaborative public engagement in Wisconsin. We hope that national nonprofits, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders can coordinate advocacy efforts to ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe, and affordable water.
| undefined | Draft DW IUP Rekeased | Draft CW IUP Released | Data of Engagement | DW or CW Engagement | Who Engaged | Type of Engagement | Content and Summary of Asks | Links | What Steps? What to do and who is responsible? | Notes | State SRF Admin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | When IUP DRAFTS were initially released for public comment. If available, hyperlink the IUP. Then include the public comment period below. | When IUP DRAFTS were initially released for public comment. If available, hyperlink the IUP. Then include the public comment period below. | Input date of engagement on IUPs or SRF process. For example, if you submitted comments on the Ohio DWSRF PY23 Draft IUP via email on July 26, indicate July 26 as the date you engaged. | Note whether your engagement was specifically on the Drinking Water SRF, the Clean Water SRF, or both with our drop down function. | List the PRIMARY organizations or individuals who engaged. This does not include co-signers to comments, etc. | One-sentence overview of the type of engagement you are entering. | Broadly summarize the asks and recommendations made in comments. | Add a PDF version of IUP comments to our State SRF Advocates Forum folder or forward to janet@policyinnovation.org Naming convention: "[Fiscal Year of IUP][CW or DW][State]_[Organization]" | Input main PoC and their contact information. Add further engagement necessary for this process | Include specific details you'd like other advocates to know, such as recommendations focused on western water storage, etc. | Input the agency which administers SRFs in your state. Add contact information for the SRF administrator. |
| Example: Ohio | 6/22/2022 Comments due: [insert date range] | Upcoming Comments due: [insert date range] | 7/26/2022 | DW | EPIC, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Ohio Environmental Council + cosigners | Submitted formal comments on the DWSRF PY23 Draft IUP to Ohio EPA | Content: Recommendations to Ohio EPA on improving DWSRF FY23 IUPs Asks: Partially waive the community size criterion for general DWAF projects; Use project-based spatial boundaries to define DACs ... and so on | State SRF Advocates Folder for IUP comments: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17C1XJ7zKJpfSyEuALJzOJl31wPvP6wzN?usp%3Dsharing&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1689997105145553&usg=AOvVaw2zeJ1PkhHpmtWA8NzTyh_g | PoC: Janet Meissner-Pritchard (EPIC), janet@policyinnovation.org Reach out to other environmental NGOs working on DAC issues. | Highlighted the importance of Manny Teodoro's report commissioned by Alliance for the Great Lakes on affordability in Ohio. | Ohio EPA PoC: Jerry Rouch, jerry.rouch@epa.ohio.gov |
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