EPA and USDA Create a Partnership to Improve Drinking Water Systems and Develop Workforce in Rural Communities (HQ)
WASHINGTON –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a
national partnership to protect Americans’ health by
improving rural drinking water and wastewater systems. Nationwide,
small water and sewage treatment facilities with limited funding
and resources face challenges due to rising costs and aging
equipment and pipes. Today’s agreement will send federal
resources to support communities that need assistance and promote
job training to help put people to work while addressing the
growing workforce shortage in the water industry.
“EPA and USDA have joined forces to
leverage our expertise and resources to improve drinking water and
wastewater systems in small towns across the country,” said
Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office
of Water. “A critical part of this agreement is to ensure
that we have a well trained, professional workforce available to
replace workers when they leave or retire.”
“The agreement we are announcing today
represents an exciting partnership between USDA and EPA that will
greatly enhance our investments in water systems and also in
developing a skilled workforce to oversee them,” said
Jonathan Adelstein, administrator for USDA’s Rural Utilities
Service. “By working together, our agencies will strengthen
their capacity to provide rural residents with safe, clean,
well-managed water and wastewater systems for years to
come.”
Under the agreement, EPA and USDA will work
together to promote jobs by targeting specific audiences, providing
training for new water careers and coordinating outreach efforts
that will bring greater public visibility to the workforce needs of
the industry, and develop a new generation of trained water
professionals. EPA and USDA will also facilitate the exchange of
successful recruitment and training strategies among stakeholders
including states and water industries.
The agencies will also help rural utilities
improve current operations and encourage development of long-term
water quality improvement plans. The plans will include developing
sustainable management practices to cut costs and improve
performance.
Since taking office, President Obama's
administration has taken significant steps to improve the lives of
rural Americans. For instance, the administration has set goals to
modernize infrastructure by providing broadband access to 10
million Americans, expanding educational opportunities for students
in rural areas and providing affordable health care. In the long
term, these unparalleled rural investments will help ensure that
America's rural communities are thriving economically.
In June, President Obama signed an executive
order establishing the first White House Rural Council, chaired by
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack. The White
House Rural Council will work throughout government to create
policies that will help realize the administration’s goals
for rural communities. Today’s agreement is part of that
initiative.
More about the EPA-USDA
agreement:
http://water.epa.gov/type/drink/pws/smallsystems/partners.cfm#moa
More about EPA’s programs
and tools for small water systems:
http://water.epa.gov/type/drink/pws/smallsystems/index.cfm
More about USDA’s Water
and Environmental Programs for rural communities:
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWEP_HomePage.html
