2023 Legislative Summit
Dedicated to a greater understanding of the widespread
public benefits of our nation’s water resources infrastructure.
2023 Legislative Summit
March 6-8, 2023
Hotel Washington, 515 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
2023 Legislative Summit
March 6-8, 2023
Hotel Washington, 515 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004
On behalf of NWC, thank you so much for attending our Legislative Summit in Washington, DC on March 6-8, 2023. It was a wonderful success—one we couldn’t have done without our stellar speakers, engaged participants, and amazing sponsors! Some notes about the meeting, as well as any PowerPoint presentations, are below.
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Thank you again for your support of NWC!
Best,
Julie Ufner, NWC
NWC concludes AN AWESOME 2023 LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT—presentation links available (below)
On behalf of NWC, a huge thanks for those of you who were able to join us for NWC’s 2023 Legislative Summit in Washington, DC on March 6-8, 2023! It was a rousing success! Links for available presentations are below.
A huge thanks to our partners and sponsors—we never would have been able to pull off this meeting without you!
OPENING GENERAL SESSION
On the morning of Monday, March 6, NWC held internal meetings with our Budget and Executive Committee. NWC Chair Tom Ray then kicked off the general session that afternoon with Ms. Robyn Colosimo, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Project Planning and Review) in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works). Since Ms. Colosimo was unable to be with us, she gave a virtual overview of the initiatives in the ASACW office before opening it up for questions.
Resources available:
- No powerpoint is available
- ASA(CW) website
- ASA(CW) Facebook page for latest updates
USACE CIVIL WORKS: POLICIES AND PROGRAMS THAT IMPACT YOU
We were then joined by long-time NWC supporter, Mr. Edward E. Belk, Director of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who gave a high-level overview of USACE’s civil works mission and work.
Resources available:
- To view Mr. Belk’s presentation, click here
- USACE Civil Works website
WHAT WILL THE 118th CONGRESS BRING FOR WATER RESOURCE ISSUES?
For the next session, three Capitol Hill staffers Mr. John Kane, Senior Policy Advisor (Majority), Environment and Public Works Committee, U.S. Senate; Mr. Ryan Hambleton, Staff Director (Majority), Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; Mr. Ryan Seiger, Staff Director/Senior Counsel (Minority), Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, U.S. House of Representatives gave their thoughts on what would happen with water issues in the 118th Congress. Hint: They will start asking for member input on the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 later this year. Start working with your member of Congress on bipartisan requests!
Resources available:
- No powerpoint is available
- Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (majority)
- House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (minority)
USACE UPDATES
For the last session of the day on March 6 before heading to our welcome reception, Mr. Tab Brown, Chief of the Programs Integration Division (Civil Works) at USACE gave comprehensive overview of FY2023 appropriations, as well as the work plan.
Resources available:
- To view Mr. Brown’s presentation, click here
- USACE Planning Community Toolbox: Civil Works Budget page
- USACE Civil Works Budget and Performance (see budget info, work plans, supplementals and more)
TELLING YOUR STORY EFFECTIVELY ON CAPITOL HILL AND IN THE AGENCIES
Whether on Capitol Hill, in federal agencies or even in your own communities, it is becoming increasingly important to have compelling stories to compel change and/or advocate for additional dollars. One effective way is to use data combined with stories. The speakers for this session – Ms. Teryn Zmuda, Chief Research Officer and Chief Economist, National Association of Counties (Moderator/Speaker); Mr. Eric Bush Chief, Planning and Policy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (via zoom); Mr. Andrew Sinclair, Director of Federal Government Affairs, The Port of Virginia; and Mr. Tom Donnelly, American Farm Bureau Federation – shared share their stories and examples of using data to drive policy decisions and effect change both on the national, regional and local scene. Additionally, we were joined by USACE which can give insight into how to quantify benefits to environmental and social justice populations.
Resources available:
- To view Ms. Zmuda’s presentation, click here
- To view Mr. Bush’s presentation, click here
- To view Mr. Sinclair’s presentation, click here
- To view Mr. Donnelly’s presentation, click here
WESTERN WATER ISSUES AND THE NATION
Growing populations and changing dynamics have increased demands on water supplies and systems, and increasingly we are seeing water management conflicts spilling throughout the country, especially in the West where the population is growing briskly. Ms. M. Camille Calimlim Touton, Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Department of the Interior discussed current challenges and opportunities, IIJA funding and implementation, planning for future droughts and what the rest of the nation can learn from these challenges.
Resources available:
- No powerpoint is available
- Bureau of Reclamation website
- CRS Report—Bureau of Reclamation: History, Authorities, and Issues for Congress
THE FY2024 BUDGET PROCESS DEMYSTIFIED
For this next session, we were joined by Mr. Jim A. Sartucci, Government Affairs Counselor, K&L Gates, who discussed the federal budget process for appropriations. He also explored what may happen in the FY2024 appropriations process which kicked off last week with the release of the President’s budget proposal on Thursday.
Resources available:
- To view Mr. Sartucci’s presentation, click here
- CRS report—Introduction to the Federal Budget Process
- President Biden’s FY2024 budget request
- FY2024 Civil Works President Budget request
USACE UPDATES (Part 2)
For USACE Updates (part 2), we were joined by Mr. Thomas Smith, Chief, Operations and Regulatory Division (Civil Works), USACE; Mr. Joseph Redican, Deputy Chief of Planning (Civil Works), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Mr. Jason Fairchild, Deputy Chief, Engineering and Construction (Civil Works), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who dove down into what the Corps was doing in a variety of areas from low water response, addressing supply chain issues and climate resilience, updates to remote lock operations policies and more.
Resources available:
- To view Mr. Smith’s presentation, click here
- To view Mr. Redican’s presentation, click here
- To view Mr. Fairchild’s presentation, click here
- USACE Planning Community Toolbox: Planners Library
SOUP, NUTS AND THE 118th CONGRESS IN A POST-COVID WORLD
Over lunch, we had an informative and fun session on what’s ahead in the 118th Congress and gain advocacy tips for putting your best step forward in a post-COVID world. Over the course of a little less than an hour, Ms. Julie Minerva, Partner, Carpi & Clay (Moderator); Ms. Callie Hoyt, Director, Federal Government Relations, National Marine Manufacturers Association; Mr. Justin Louchheim, Senior Director, Government Affairs, The Fertilizer Institute; and Mr. Jordan Howard, Counsel, Federal Construction & Regulatory Affairs, Associated General Contractors of America, entertained us with the dos, don’t and best practices to put your best foot forward on Capitol Hill.
Resources available:
- No powerpoints available
CAPITOL HILL EDUCATIONAL DAY
On Wednesday, March 8, NWC partnered with the Texas Water Conservation Association’s Texas Water Day to offer a Capitol Hill educational day over the course of one morning. We were joined by a variety of speakers including Ms. Martha Williams, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas);
Dr. Don Cline, Associate Director for Water, U.S. Geological Survey; Mr. Matthew Klasen, PFAS Council Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA’s Action Plan on PFAS); Senator Ted Cruz; and Ms. Julia Anastasio, Executive Director, Association of Clean Water Agencies (The Latest on WOTUS).
Resources available:
To make a hotel reservation, please click here.
A huge thank you to the 2023 Legislative Summit partners!
GOLD
The Port of Virginia – Sessions & Cocktail Reception
SILVER
Valley Water – Keynote Luncheon
TRWA – Keynote Luncheon
BRONZE
Alabama State Port Authority – Breaks
Freese and Nichols – Breaks
HDR, Inc. – Breaks
Port Houston – Breaks
SUPPORTER
BRANDED LANYARDS
DONOR
Interested in supporting the 2024 NWC Legislative Summit and the mission of NWC? Contact NWC Consultant Kathleen Turner at NWCsponsorship@waterways.org or phone her at 703.657.9171.
We look forward to working with you!
Click here for Notice of Risk and Refund Policy.
