September 22-24, 2021

Thank you for a successful 2021 NWC Annual Meeting in Baltimore on September 22-24, 2021—we couldn’t have done it without you and our amazing sponsors! For those of your who were unable to attend, you were missed and we look forward to working with you in the months and years to come. Thank you for your support of NWC!

Below is a high-level recap with links to powerpoint presentations (when available).

OPENING GENERAL SESSION (NWC thanks The Port of Virginia for their sponsorship)

NWC Chair David Yarbrough kicked off the session and introduced Mr. Al Lee, Director of Civil Works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Lee gave a high-level overview about some of the USACE policies and programs coming down the pike. Additionally, he discussed how the agency is adjusting to life as a result of COVID. USACE has downsized their offices in the Government Accountability Office Building to the 3^rd floor and they are currently redesigning the offices. As the private sector is, the agency is currently assessing how they will operate in the future. It is likely that a percentage of the workforce will come in certain days of the week. The goal is to ensure that USACE continues to serve the public. Mr. Lee highlighted several changes that have occurred within the CW Organization Structure, discussed several public private partnerships, as well as the Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program, and status of WRDA 2020 implementation guidance (11 signed/25 sections to be released in coming weeks) and upcoming initiatives and rulemaking (climate change, environmental justice, Waters of the U.S., PR&G, Section 408 program, Nationwide Permits, and more).

Resources available:

• To see Mr. Lee’s powerpoint presentation, click here.

HIGHLIGHTING CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND BEST PRACTICES IN THE NAVIGATION WORLD (Sponsored by NWC’s Navigation Caucus)

Mr. Andrew Sinclair, Director of Federal Government Affairs, The Port of Virginia, led a session that examined the challenges, opportunities and best practices in the navigation world. Ms. Tiffany Burroughs, USACE’s Chief of Navigation, focused on the breathe and scope of the nation’s inland and coastal navigation system and stressed the limited available dollars to maintain channel dimensions and infrastructure, existing competing priorities, increased costs, capacity for dredge materials and environmental issues. Mr. Richard Balzano, CEO and Executive Director of the Dredging Contractors of America stressed the importance of the partnership between USACE and the dredging industry to keep America strong, before discussing other challenges. Mr. Tracy Zea, President and CEO of the Waterways Council, reviewed recent Congressional actions on infrastructure that benefit inland waterways systems before focusing on ongoing needs.

Resources available:

• Burrough’s powerpoint
• Balzano’s powerpoint
• Zea’s powerpoint

THE LATEST ON RISK RATING 2.0 (NWC’s Flood Control Caucus thanks Dewberry for their sponsorship)

Mr. Rick Johnson, Executive Director, Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency led a discussion with Mr. David Maurstad, FEMA Senior Executive of the National Flood Insurance Program and Mr. Andy Neal, Chief Actuary, National Flood Insurance Program and Branch Chief, Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration’s Actuarial and Catastrophic Modeling branch, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to discuss FEMA’s plan to roll out Risk Rating 2.0: Equity in Action on October 1, 2021. Risk Rating 2.0 will change how NFIP calculates flood insurance premiums, beyond flood zones, by incorporating variables such as the distance to water, size and types of nearest waterbodies.

Resources available:

• To view Mr. Maurstad’s powerpoint presentation, click here.
• About Risk Rating 2.0: Equity in Action
• Who will Risk Rating 2.0 impact? State Profiles

HOW WILL FEDERAL CLIMATE/ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE POLICIES IMPACT WATER RESOURCE INFRASTRUCTURE (NWC thanks Best Best & Krieger for their sponsorship)

In January 2021, President Biden signed several Executive Orders that directed federal agencies to address both climate change and environmental justice issues. Ms. Robyn Colosimo, Director of Policy and Legislation for the ASA’s (Civil Works) office. discussed the actions that USACE is taking to comply with the Administration’s directive, along with how these pending policies may impact water resource infrastructure and projects both now and in the future. No powerpoint is available.

Resources available:

• Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis (Jan. 20, 2021)
• White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council Report on Justice 40 (May 21, 2021)
• Biden’s Plan to Secure Environmental Justice and Equitable Opportunity (July 2020)

HOW UPCOMING FLOODPLAIN REGULATIONS WILL IMPACT WATER RESOURCE FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (NWC’s Flood Control Caucus thanks Trinity River Authority of Texas for their sponsorship)

Waterway infrastructure, whether it be rivers and harbors, port facilities and the entities they service, water and wastewater infrastructure, flood control and levees, hydropower and dams, are usually located within floodplains. Ms. Molly Lawrence, partner with Van Ness Feldman gave a high-level overview of some of the floodplain related issues coming down the pike that may impact water resource infrastructure, including the status of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) reauthorization, the intersection between NFIP and the Endangered Species Act, Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS), what to expect from Risk Rating 2.0 and changes in coastal high hazard zones.

Resources available:

• To see Ms. Lawrence’s powerpoint presentation, click here.

WHY REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN WATER SUPPLY ISSUES MATTER (NWC’s Water Supply Caucus thanks Santa Clara Valley Water District for their sponsorship)

Mark Twain once said, “Whiskey is for drinking—water is for fighting.” All cross the nation, the issues driving water supply differ widely and a one size fits all approach will not work. From historic drought to inter-state compacts, from working with the Corps of Engineers to the Bureau of

Reclamation, our panel from various parts of the country share regional perspectives on the challenges, tension, and solutions to supplying that precious commodity, water. Mr. Tom Ray, Water Resources Program Manager, Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, Inc. served as moderator as he led the panel to explain why western, central and eastern water issues are so diverse across the nation.

Resources available:

• To see Mr. Vincent Gin, Deputy Operating Officer – Water Supply Division, Santa Clara Valley Water District powerpoint presentation, click here.
• To see Mr. Dan Buhman, General Manager, Tarrant Regional Water District powerpoint presentation, click here.
• To see Mr. Joseph Dellapenna, Visiting Professor of Law, Beijing University School of Transnational Law powerpoint presentation, click here.

THE LATEST ON “WATERS OF THE U.S.” RULEMAKING

After a fun-filled night at Camden Yards, NWC Chair David Yarbrough kicked off Day 2 of NWC’s 2021 Annual Meeting at 8:30am. First up, Ms. Kerry McGrath, a partner with Hunton Andrews Kurth discussed the latest on the “Waters of the U.S.” rulemaking. Waters of the U.S. or WOTUS is a term used in the Clean Water Act to differentiate between waters and their conveyances regulated at the federal versus the state level. Due to several controversial Supreme Court rulings, the definition became murky, leading to more waters and their conveyances requiring federal permits for construction and maintenance activities. As a result, the past several administrations have undertaken efforts to rewrite the WOTUS definition. Ms. McGrath gave an overview about the current status of WOTUS, including next steps, and how NWC members can be involved.

Resources available:

• To view Ms. McGrath’s powerpoint presentation, click here.
• To read a Congressional Research Service report on the “Evolution of the Meaning of WOTUS,” click here.

WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, A VITAL RESOURCE NEEDS CYBERSECURITY TOO!

Ms. McGrath was followed by Mr. Shawn Taylor, a Senior Systems Engineer from Forescout Technologies, who reviewed the current cyber threat trends and discussed best practices that can be implemented now. Mr. Taylor ended the session with a review of the ransomware incident that

the City of Atlanta suffered and offer actionable tips to prevent this scenario.

Resources available:

• To read Mr. Taylor’s powerpoint presentation, click here.

REMARKS FROM THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY (CIVIL WORKS) OFFICE

In a humorous session, Mr. Jamie Pinkham, (Acting) Assistant Secretary of the Army ( Civil Works) at the Department of Defense, discussed general impressions and lessons learned on his time on the job (so far), as well as key programs and policies coming down the pike. Pinkham stressed

the importance of working together and collaboration. He also discussed the infrastructure bills pending in Congress and how they may benefit waterways infrastructure and nonfederal sponsors. No powerpoint is available.

REGIONAL CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

This session was formatted to give participants insight into some of the opportunities and challenges in the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond.

Resources available:

• Ms. Amy Guise, Planning Division Chief, Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. To see Ms. Guise’s presentation, click here.
• Ms. Kristen Fidler, Director of Harbor Development, Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration. To see Ms. Fidler’s presentation, click here.
• Ms. Lisa Schaefer, Executive Director, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. No powerpoint is available.

NWC is proud to recognize the firms who sponsored the 2021 Annual Meeting in Baltimore! Thank you so much for your support!

Thank You to our 2019 Annual Meeting Host: The Port of Memphis