Latest News

˾ President-Elect Participating in TIM Summit this Week

  • June 13-14, the Fourth Senior Executive Transportation and Public Safety Summit is being held at the U.S. Dept. of Transportation;
  • The summit, part of the ongoing work of the Executive Leadership Group (ELG) for Traffic Incident Management (TIM), will focus on next steps to cultivate a national network of engaged leaders and empower them to advocate and secure necessary TIM resources and programs at state and local levels;
  • ˾ President-elect Dominick Longobardi is participating and will speak as part of a panel focused on local support and resources;
  • Additional participants include ˾ Director of Government and Public Affairs Andrea Eales who will participate in two panels during the summit focused on funding for TIM and increasing awareness of TIM at the local and state levels;
  • ˾ member representative to the ELG Dave Bergner of Arizona is attending the summit as is ˾ Government Affairs Media Manager Mark Shade;
  • At least 100 participants are expected to attend the summit along with leadership from the Federal Highway Administration;
  • Follow @˾GovAffairs at the summit on and .

˾ Government Affairs Traveling to SC for Chapter Visit

  • Government Affairs Manager Marty Williams and Government Affairs Associate Jeff Finegan will travel to Columbia, SC, to discuss advocacy at the national level during the annual SC ˾ Conference, taking place this year from June 11-14;
  • The Government Affairs Team is here for you! If you or someone from your chapter would like to arrange a visit from Government Affairs, reach out to Director of Government & Public Affairs Andrea Eales at aeales@apwa.org or at (202) 218-6730;
  • Government Affairs presentations are tailored to meet your chapter’s needs, focus on advocacy, and how to best represent ˾’s priorities and interests to elected officials.

Cybersecurity Tools for Water Systems

  • As part of the federal government’s increased response to cyber vulnerabilities, agencies are rolling out more resources, including:
    • ʴ’s : The evaluation is a free program that provides direct access to a cybersecurity professional who can conduct a virtual cybersecurity assessment, staff can guide you through the assessment process and answer any questions you may have
    • ʴ’s : This helps water systems, primacy agencies, and technical assistance providers get answers to questions about cybersecurity and request direct consultation with subject-matter expert to help address cybersecurity questions
    • Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency’s (CISA) : This highlights the top cyber actions that water systems can take to reduce cyber risk and improve resilience to cyberattacks, it also provides free services, resources, and tools to support these actions, which can be taken concurrently
    • ʴ’s : This case study, “Take Charge and Take Advantage,” highlights a medium-sized utility and the actions it took to increase its cyber resilience through cultural change and staff awareness.

Upcoming EPA Webinars on Earmark Rules

  • As members of Congress continue to earmark more funding, EPA is seeking to educate potential recipients in advance of rules surrounding ;
  • These training webinars are meant to help avoid compliance issues later in the process and will cover administrative requirements (June 4, June 26) and programmatic requirements (June 12, June 18).

FHWA Opens Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Funding Opportunity

  • The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is soliciting applications for its ;
  • This second round of funding is available from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) with state and local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, public housing authorities, Native American tribal governments, amongst those eligible to apply;
  • Register for a that will provide specific information about the application process taking place at 1 p.m. ET, June 11.

FEMA Announces $300M for Flooding Resiliency

  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced $300M to assist policy holders nationwide to enhance flooding resiliency efforts;
  • Funding is provided through enactment of and the ;
  • Examples of projects eligible for this funding include property acquisition and demolition, elevation, and relocation;
  • To be eligible, buildings must be insured through NFIP and have a history of repetitive or substantial damage from flooding;
  • To apply, use . Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis;
  • The application period began June 1, and the last eligible disaster declaration date is May 31, 2025;
  • To apply, visit .

FEMA Seeks Putting People First Guidance Feedback

  • FEMA is soliciting comments on its ;
  • The plan assists emergency managers and planning partners at all jurisdictional levels in identifying the needs of their communities, particularly those that are disproportionately impacted by disasters and populations who have been historically underserved;
  • FEMA will host three webinars to provide an overview of the draft and facilitate discussion on additional ways to improve the guide:

CISA Announces FY24 SAFECOM Emergency Communications Grants Guidance

  • CISA released its ;
  • Updated annually, the SAFECOM Guidance includes information about policies, eligible costs, technical standards, and best practices for state, local, tribal, and territorial grant recipients investing federal funds in emergency communications projects;
  • All preparedness funding notices can be found at ;
  • To apply before the June 24 deadline, use the .

On the Horizon

All times ET.

  • June 12 at 10 a.m., the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions committee will hold a hearing on the ;
  • June 12 at 10:15 a.m., the House Natural ˾ committee will convene to hold a ;
  • June 13 at 11 a.m., the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Highways and Transit Subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing on .

Explore ˾’s Member Advocacy Tools: