Blogs

Reflecting on 2023, NSDC Looks Forward to Advancing and Meeting Goals in 2024

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 12-21-2023
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This year was the fifth formal year for the National Special Districts Coalition. As the Coalition turned five, it experienced growth into new states, strengthened federal advocacy efforts, increased capacity to provide resources of interest to the nation’s special districts, and has begun to develop an early framework for Coalition action beyond securing a federal “special district” definition. Milestones Hit in Federal Definition Efforts Crafting federal policies takes time, and successfully shuttling legislation across the finish line can take multiple congresses. NSDC’s Advocacy Team have been hard at work to clear hurdles and remove roadblocks to ...
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House Panel Advances Bill to Codify Protections for Use of Fire Retardant against Wildfire

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 11-22-2023
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The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee favorably reported H.R. 1586 (LaMafla), the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act , on November 15. NSDC sent to Committee leadership a letter with 75 co-signing special districts, cities, and counties supporting the legislation and Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s, R-Calif., amendment in the nature of a substitute (ANS). Congresswoman Val Hoyle, D-Ore., cosponsored the ANS. The legislation codifies a Federal Facilities Compliance Agreement reached between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency in February 2023 for the ariel application of approved ...
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Arizona Special Districts Meet for First Summit on Shared Priorities and Issues

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 11-17-2023
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Special district leaders and stakeholders from across Arizona met on November 9 for a “mini-conference”-style Arizona Special Districts Summit to discuss common concerns and issues facing the state’s districts. The event marked the first known occasion where leaders from a diverse background of special district services gathered alongside county partners to exchange ideas in a statewide forum exclusively for Arizona’s special districts. A steering committee of 11 stakeholders comprised of special districts managers, board members, county officials, a legal consulting firm, and a representative from the Arizona Fire Districts Association steered organization ...
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Coalition Favors Bill to Reduce Federal Regulatory Hurdles for Mosquito Abatement

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 11-03-2023
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The nation’s mosquito and vector control districts would see a federal regulatory break to carry out their services in rivers, streams, and other navigable waterways with NSDC-supported legislation in the House. H.R. 5089 (Rouzer), the Reducing Regulatory Burden Ac t , would expedite mosquito and vector control districts’ ability to apply federally-approved pesticides to prevent the spread of vector-borne illness in navigable waterways without seeking another federal permit – the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Under current law to seek a NPDES permit to apply substances that federal agencies have already approved for ...
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Streamlining Federal Grants Act Earns National Special Districts Support

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 11-03-2023
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The National Special Districts Coalition supports legislation intended to simplify and streamline processes to apply for and execute federal funding opportunities. NSDC outlined its support for the Streamlining Federal Grants Act in a letter to bill sponsors Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., ( S. 2286 ) and Rep. Maria Gluesenkamp-Perez, D-Wash., ( H.R. 5934 ) in a November 2 letter. The legislation would set in motion government-wide action to address systemic issues in the application and administration of federal funding programs. Of note, the bill would require each federal agency administering a significant number of grant programs to ...
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FEMA Announces First-Ever Community Disaster Resilience Zones

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 09-07-2023
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced on September 6 the first round of Community Disaster Resilience Zone (CDRZ) designations. In total, 483 census tracts received the CDRZ label . Special districts with eligible pre-hazard mitigation projects, as included in FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMP), in the selected zones may be able to access enhanced resources to advance mitigation projects. FEMA will announce a second round of designations in the Fall for territorial and tribal lands. Among the CDRZ program ’s benefits include up to a 90 percent federal cost share on their designated projects, technical assistance for project ...
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FY23 Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program Open for Applications

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 09-07-2023
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The U.S. Forest Service’ 2023 application period is now open for a nationwide program aimed to assist wildland-urban interface communities mitigate catastrophic impacts of wildfire. The $1 billion Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) is back for its second year, accepting applications through October 31, 2023. The program was authorized in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and allows up to $250 million annually through Fiscal Year 2027 to reduce risk in the community. Special districts providing services in communities with high fire risk may apply under certain conditions. Eligible projects must be included in a Community Wildfire Protection ...
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Texas Special District Leaders Gather for Successful First Summit

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 07-24-2023
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Special district stakeholders from across Texas convened in Austin on July 20 for a first-time “Texas Special Districts Summit” of the local government sector’s leaders in the state. In all, 25 elected board members, district managers, state association leads, legal and nonprofit consultants held robust discussions on mutual policy priorities, shared professional service needs, and next steps for state special district coalition-building. Efforts to curtail local government revenues and operations were top of mind for attending districts, as the Texas legislature gaveled out of the second special session focused on property tax reductions for school district ...
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National Action Week 2023: Special Districts to Advocate for Definition, WUI Fire Suppression Needs

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 07-05-2023
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The nation’s special districts are called to engage with their federal legislators during Congress’ August recess to advocate on top federal priorities during the 2023 National Special Districts Action Week. For the second year, the National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) will coordinate the advocacy event, formally August 7-11, 2023. During this time, special districts providing critical, essential services in their communities will connect with their members of the U.S. House and Senate to garner support of forthcoming legislation to establish a federal “special district” definition and on solutions to close water infrastructure gaps for firefighting ...
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NSDC Urges Congressional Committees to Act on Advance Refunding Restoration

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 06-09-2023
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The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) is calling on Congress to pass pending legislation to restore local governments’ ability to leverage advance refunding of bonds. The Coalition signaled general support for legislation to restore the policy in a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee. Specifically, NSDC calls for the advancement of H.R. 1837 (Kustoff), the Investing in Our Communities Act , and S. 1453 (Wicker), the Lifting Our Communities through Advance Liquidity for Infrastructure Act (LOCAL Infrastructure Act), which has been referred to their respective House and Senate committees. Local governments ...
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NSDC Summer Webinars Focus on Grants Strategy, Application, Earmarks & More

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 06-09-2023
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The federal grants landscape is a rugged one that requires in depth research, strategy, prioritization, and understanding of what’s out there. The National Special Districts Coalition’s grants program, in partnership with TFG, is designed to reduce the resource burden many special districts face in their approach to funding opportunities with a variety of professional resources to guide the way. NSDC-affliated special districts are invited to register for a summer series of webinars aimed to demystify the process, arm special districts with strategies to approach and apply for programs, advocate, and give early insight into what to expect for the Fiscal ...
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70 Special Districts, Cities & Counties Urge for Certainty for Retardant Use against Wildfire

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 06-02-2023
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A coalition of 70 local governments called on Congressional leadership to move legislation to ensure fire agencies’ ability to use fire retardants to combat wildfire. Click here to read the House letter and here to read the Senate letter. The June 1 coalition letter sent to House, Senate, and Senate Environment and Public Works Committee leaderships urges Congress to pass the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act , which would codify the exemption that federal, state, and local firefighting agencies leverage to apply fire retardant against wildfire without violating the Clean Water Act. Senator Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., sponsors ...
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Advancing Top Priority, NSDC Formally Proposes Federal Definition of ‘Special District’

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 05-10-2023
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) announced Wednesday its proposed federal definition of “special district,” marking a pivotal step in the organization’s top federal policy priority. Despite approximately 35,000 special districts providing essential local government services to millions of Americans, there is no single definition for “special district.” The absence has led to inconsistencies in how special districts are referenced as eligible for federal programs and additional hardship to access federally-sourced assistance for infrastructure projects and community programs. The NSDC Executive Committee unanimously approved ...
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Advocacy Alert: NSDC Invites Special Districts to Join in Support of Bill to Ensure Use of Fire Retardant against Wildfire

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 04-26-2023
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The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) supports H.R. 1586 (LaMalfa) and S. 796 (Lummis), the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2023 to formalize an exemption to the Clean Water Act to ensure firefighting agencies can continue to use fire retardant to fight wildfire. NSDC Advocacy Alert: Join Coalition of Support for H.R. 1586 & S. 796 NSDC invites all fire protection district, other special districts providing essential services in high fire-risk, wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities to sign-on to a coalition letter of support to House and Senate Leadership as well as members of committees to which the ...
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Special Districts Urge Congress against Rescinding Unobligated State, Local COVID Relief Funds

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 04-26-2023
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As federal lawmakers make moves to address the nation’s debt limit, unobligated COVID funds are on the table for potential rollback. The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) sent on Wednesday a letter to Congressional leadership urging against rescinding unobligated funds, as many special districts have yet to access the resources. Read NSDC’s letter to House and Senate Leaders House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., brought forward last week House Republicans’ proposal to raise the debt limit, which includes a title broadly outlining the revocation of funds. NSDC is specifically concerned about the provision to permanently rescind “unobligated ...
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Special District Leaders Meet Congress, Advocate on National Priorities

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 04-21-2023
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The nation’s special district stakeholders descended on Washington this week for the 2023 National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) “Special Districts on the Hill” to press for support on top Coalition priorities. Leaders and stakeholders from across Coalition states met with 36 offices of the U.S. House and Senate to promote awareness of special districts as part of the country’s local government landscape. In doing so, the group of 12 advocated for the establishment of a “special district” definition in federal law and broader inclusion in federally-funded local government programs. NSDC also focused on ongoing efforts to address community gaps in adequate ...
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EPA Proposes PFAS Drinking Water Monitoring Regulation

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 04-20-2023
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed its National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for monitoring six forms of PFAS in drinking water systems. EPA published on March 29 its proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for six forms of PFAS including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA, commonly known as GenX Chemicals), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS). Public comment is currently open on the proposal with a May 30 deadline. Click here to read the proposed NPDWR. EPA proposes ...
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Tahoe Water for Fire Partnership, NSDC Seek Expansion of USDA Wildfire Mitigation Program to Close Water, Fire Infrastructure Gaps

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 04-13-2023
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The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) joined the Tahoe Water for Fire Suppression Partnership in advocacy to expand a federal wildfire resiliency program to address gaps in adequate water infrastructure for firefighting in high-risk communities. NSDC, the Lake Tahoe-based Partnership, and the Association of California Water Agencies sent an April 13 letter to House and Senate agriculture committee leaderships requesting eligibility under the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program be expanded to include water infrastructure for fire suppression projects. The effort comes as Congress debates reauthorization of the Farm Bill, which includes ...
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NSDC, Public Trust Advisors to Host Webinar: Strengthening Your Special District’s Investments in an Unpredictable Market

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 03-09-2023
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The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) in partnership with Public Trust Advisors will host a March 30 webinar offering special districts insights as they navigate and strategize their municipal investments in a time of unpredictable market conditions. Public Trust Advisors , a Platinum NSDC Affiliate Member, will provide NSDC Members the latest on market and economic conditions before offering best and taking questions. This 75-minute webinar will be live via Zoom on Thursday, March 30, beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. This event is offered at no cost to NSDC Members and their affiliated special districts and organizations. ...
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National Coalition Readies Federal Push to Address Infrastructure Gaps for Fire Suppression, Seeks Additional Input

By Cole Arreola-Karr posted 03-06-2023
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The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) is prioritizing legislative action in the 118 th Congress to address community gaps in adequate water resources for firefighting and is seeking further input from local agencies providing these services on the experiences they have had in their communities on this topic. Does your agency have insights to offer on the subject of adequate water infrastructure for firefighting in your community? Share your feedback here. This effort began in 2022 following initial feedback from numerous special district stakeholders across the country providing fire protection and water services indicating that ...
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