Environmental Policy Innovation Center

Phil Cork explores how we can more equitably and effectively expand access to clean drinking water by adding a unique ID to Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF) data. Read the blog to learn more about how this addition could transform our ability to track drinking water infrastructure investments. 🔗: https://lnkd.in/enuS4Gqm

🗓 Mark your calendars for July 9th! We're hosting a webinar celebrating the release of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s milestone Community Water System Service Area Boundaries Map: https://lnkd.in/efd-8xDZ 🎉 This dataset is a huge achievement—and will be pivotal for policymakers, communities, advocates, and countless others as they prioritize + track drinking water investments over time, including in environmental justice, resilience planning, and much more. #waterdata #drinkingwaterjustice #environmentaljustice #waterequity ➡ Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpQYZveu ⬅

💧 Are more drinking water funds going to state-defined disadvantaged communities through state revolving funds (SRFs)? 💧 The answer: be patient! Check out our latest blog by Janet Pritchard, Phil Cork, and Maureen Cunningham for a deeper dive into this question. #StateRevolvingFunds #DrinkingWater 🔗: https://lnkd.in/eapbGFcX

🗓 To all the advocates, data-driven public servants, and water policy experts working on #drinkingwaterjustice: mark your calendars for Tuesday, July 9th at 1:00 pm EST. We're hosting a webinar with folks in and around government working on drinking water data, and discussing the launch of a new dataset that can help us understand who gets water from whom. Reserve your spot today! ⤵ 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpQYZveu

Did you guys know that the USDA is actually already buying environmental outcomes, like nitrogen reductions and carbon sequestration? Seven projects are doing so RIGHT NOW using RCPP's "performance-based payments". In my new paper, these intrepid innovators demonstrate the diversity of projects that are paying for outcomes. They differ in their goals, how they prove cost-effectiveness, and the challenges they faced—but all are varying their payment rates based on the amount of benefits generated by a best management practice. I sincerely hope that these case studies inspire YOU to submit an application to pay for results in your community. Don't hesitate to reach out if that sounds interesting to you. Huge thanks to Nina Gage, Adam Kiel and Daniel Yeoman, Ben Wickerham, Joe Campbell, and Cy Tongate for sharing the stories of their projects and for blazing a trail for the Department and the entire conservation movement! https://lnkd.in/eTWyKDi2

🚨New York City property owners could pay thousands out of their own pockets to replace lead pipes from their homes or be faced with steep civil penalties, if legislation under consideration this week by the City Council passes. Other cities and states across the country have taken alternative - and arguably more equitable - approaches that cover lead service line replacement at no cost to property owners. This EPIC blog looks at the city legislation, the direction other cities and states are taking, and a glimpse into some of the hurdles - and possibilities - specific to New York State. #LeadPipes #LeadServiceLineReplacement #NewYorkCity #NewYorkState cc: Maureen Cunningham Erica Galante-Johnson, Ph.D. Denise Schmidt Jessica Lamb

💧🌱 EPIC Spotlight! 🌱💧 Our very own Sapna Mulki, EPIC’s Water Policy and Engagement Manager, presented this week at American Water Works Association (AWWA)’s 2024 Annual Conference and Expo (ACE24)! Sapna’s presentation, titled “Set Goals for the Utility’s Personnel to Reflect the Diversity of the Local Community,” described strategies to increase community participation in a utility's workforce. This presentation was part of the education session “Embedding DEI: Leveraging a Water Utility Manager’s Guide to Community Stewardship,” regarding recommendations in the AWWA publication “A Water Utility Manager's Guide to Community Stewardship.” Sapna’s co-presenters and fellow Diversity and Membership Inclusion Committee members attending this session were Donnell Duncan, P.E, S.E., Denita Bonhart, Gregory Reed, and Roderick Sherman, MBA. We are so proud of the work being done by Sapna and her colleagues, and thrilled she was able to represent EPIC at this year’s conference! #ACE24 #WaterUtility #DEI

Our Restoration, Agriculture, and Finance teams have put their heads together to develop appropriate payment schedules for Pay for Success programs buying environmental outcomes. As the title suggests, it's a true balancing act. Read below for our recommendation, to see the math behind it, and learn about possible applications. Please email Grace Edinger, grace@policyinnovation.org, EPIC's Procurement Policy Strategy Lead to learn more.

We are thrilled to welcome two new members to our Water Team! Jessica Lamb has started as our Assistant Director of Water Communications and Operations and Mary Samar, M.Sc. as our National Funding Navigator Manager. We are so happy to have you all on board!

🎉 Thanks to everyone who attended yesterday’s critical drinking water data webinar—and shout out to our co-hosts the Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) and the Internet of Water Coalition. We had a great conversation around easy ways (and tools!) for using and maintaining #drinkingwaterdata, including a key dataset—one that can tell us who gets water from whom. We also heard a lot from attendees + panelists about where this exciting work is headed and the many opportunities for collaboration on the horizon. 👀 📺 ICYMI: check out the webinar recording (and links to slides and other resources!) below ⬇ #drinkingwaterdata #drinkingwaterjustice #waterequity #serviceareaboundaries #drinkingwater #drinkingwaterequity