The inauguration of President Joe Biden has now been conducted and that means a change in leadership for the federal government. This change is expected to influence the public works sector in several ways, notably as it relates to funding, legislation and regulation.
Mary Joyce Ivers, American Public Works Association president, and Scott Grayson, APWA CEO, discuss the myriad ways utilities will be impacted by a change in administration. Ivers specifically notes how funding dollars between public works verticals compete with each other and how APWA is cognizant of addressing that with federal resources. Grayson stresses the difficulties and challenges utilities are having in hiring qualified workers to complete their projects. He also highlights the many initiatives that APWA has on its plate for 2021 and how utilities professionals can get involved with those efforts.
- Intro: (0:00)
- Critical federal considerations for utilities in 2021: (0:43)
- Creating partnerships with federal agencies for funding resources: (2:13)
- Addressing workforce challenges due to retirements: (3:02)
- Difficulties on the ground finding qualified workers: (4:48)
- The impact of a new presidential administration: (5:42)
- Water affordability, water access and water equity: (9:18)
- PFAS and the Lead & Copper Rule Revision: (9:53)
- Balancing the competing demands for resources: (11:15)
- Ensuring water operators are prioritized for COVID-19 vaccines: (12:10)
- FAST Act and competing priorities for APWA initiatives: (13:15)
- The U.S.’s fractured approach to infrastructure: (14:06)
- The importance of asset management and predictive maintenance: (15:49)
- Getting Congress involved in supporting infrastructure funding: (18:01)
- Ventura Water Pure project as a model for coordinating funding resources: (21:10)
- Outro: (24:12)
Additional Resources
- Watch our last video with APWA: https://www.wwdmag.com/videos/american-public-works-association-overcomes-covid-19-adversity
- Follow APWA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/apwatweets
- Visit the APWA website: www.apwa.org
- Watch last week’s video: https://www.wwdmag.com/videos/regulations-legislation-national-water-policy-wwd-weekly-digest
Sign up for More Water & Wastes Digest Content
- Subscribe to Water & Wastes Digest: https://sgc.dragonforms.com/WWD_new&PK=SMNN2020
- Renew your WWD subscription: https://sgc.dragonforms.com/WWD_renew&PK=SMRE2020
- Sign up to our newsletter: https://www.wwdmag.com/manage-subscription?source=video2020
Connect with WWD on Social Media
- Facebook: fb.com/waterwastesdigest
- Twitter: @WWDmag
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/waterwastesdigest
