Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Practical solutions for improving rural communities
front-page-banner-img

April 2012

RCAP Executive Director testifies on Capitol Hill

Posted Thu, 2012/04/26 - 11:04am by RCAP

RCAP Executive Director Robert Stewart testified April 25 before the House Rural Development, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee of the Agriculture Committee. The subcommittee hosted the first in a series of hearings on the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization. There were two panels focusing on the programs in the Rural Development Title.

Two new training webinars on EPA's abletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems

Posted Wed, 2012/04/25 - 9:34am by RCAP

EPA has uploaded two training webinars on the Tabletop Exercise Tool for Water Systems: Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Climate Resiliency (TTX Tool) to EPA’s website ). The TTX Tool assists in planning, designing, conducting, and evaluating a tabletop exercise on 15 all-hazards scenarios.

Webinar on how to get the most out of a great website for operators

Posted Wed, 2012/04/25 - 9:19am by RCAP

Webinar on Tuesday, May 15 at 2 p.m. EDT to showcase SmallWaterSupply.org, a place with free online resources and support for water and wastewater operators.

In this webinar, SmallWaterSupply.org project manager Steve Wilson will show you how to use the website to help you get the most out of Internet resources. This will not be a simple tour of the site, but instead will share specific examples of how to use SmallWaterSupply.org to make your job a little easier.

DEA National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day: April 28

Posted Tue, 2012/04/24 - 10:15am by RCAP

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with support from EPA, is sponsoring the National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day on April 28. DEA looks to build upon the success of its first three events, which collected a total of 498 tons of household medications nationwide. These nationwide events provide a unified opportunity for the public to turn in expired, unwanted or unused prescription drugs and other medications to law enforcement officers for safe disposal.

EPA's mapping tool for public access to enforcement information

Posted Tue, 2012/04/24 - 9:40am by RCAP

The EPA has a mapping feature in its Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database. As part of EPA’s ongoing effort to improve transparency, the EPA and State Enforcement Actions Map will allow the public to access federal and state enforcement information in an interactive format and to compare enforcement action information by state. The map will be refreshed monthly to include up-to-date information about the enforcement actions taken to address violations of air, water, and waste laws.

Format: 
Website (with more resources)
Topic: 
Regulations
Source: 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Audience: 
Operator
Board/council member
Mayor/town manager/elected official (local)
Plant manager
State/federal decision-maker

Section of EPA's website on sustainable water infrastructure

Posted Tue, 2012/04/24 - 9:37am by RCAP

EPA works with the water sector as it moves towards more sustainable practices. To this end, the EPA has a set of web pages to provide information and resources for meeting the water infrastructure challenges faced in communities across the country.

Format: 
Website (with more resources)
Topic: 
Planning
Source: 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Audience: 
Board/council member
Mayor/town manager/elected official (local)

National Characteristics of Drinking Water Systems Serving 10,000 or Fewer People

Posted Tue, 2012/04/24 - 9:28am by RCAP

This report, released in July 2011, summarizes the characteristics of small drinking water systems serving 10,000 or fewer people and how these characteristics may impact their short- and long- term sustainability. The report also provides information on ownership, operation, financial stability, infrastructure needs, and compliance with National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs).

PDF, 104 pp, 6MB

Get the report

Format: 
Report
Topic: 
Regulations
Source: 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Audience: 
State/federal decision-maker

Obama administration announces new partnership on Unconventional Natural Gas and Oil Research

Posted Fri, 2012/04/20 - 11:39am by RCAP

WASHINGTON – Three federal agencies announced April 13 a formal partnership to coordinate and align all research associated with development of our nation’s abundant unconventional natural gas and oil resources. The partnership exemplifies the cross-government coordination required under President Obama’s executive order released earlier that day, which created a new Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources.

EPA proposes rule to require electronic reporting for chemical information

Posted Fri, 2012/04/20 - 11:35am by RCAP

WASHINGTON— The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a proposed rule to require electronic reporting for certain information submitted to the agency under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).The action is an important milestone in the agency’s effort to increase transparency and public access to chemical information in order to help Americans protect their health and environment.