The Times-Standard Three hundred miles to the south, our society rewards the makers of tech trinkets with the greatest fortunes ever amassed in history — largely, infamously untaxed.
Meanwhile, a coalition of government officials here and in Sacramento is asking you to pay a little more to ensure that everyone in the state has access to clean drinking water.
Just ask the residents of Flint.
But why should our leaders be inventing new taxes to ensure the delivery of the most basic of services when there are plenty of old taxes laying around, endlessly abused or ignored outright by a long line of corporations that are by no means in any danger whatsoever of experiencing a moment of thirst?
Let the gloriously untaxed among us pick up the canteen and walk to a well, for once, for the betterment of the society that shelters them from any of the great responsibility that should by all rights and the wisdom of Stan Lee come with the great power they’ve managed to accumulate.
The proposal currently trickling through the halls of power in Sacramento, if adopted, would take effect in July 2020.
It looks to charge most of us 95 cents a month, with heavy business and industry paying $4 to $10 a month.
Additional taxes on fertilizers and dairy products would swell the pool of revenue collected each year to around $140 million.
Color us skeptical.
Proponents of the proposed new tax tell us that 1 million Californians each year go without access to safe drinking water, and that nearly 2 million Californians lack service from a public water system.

As natural resources go, oil tends to get more attention from investors than clean drinking water, even against the backdrop of headline-grabbing shortages in Flint, Michigan, South Africa and elsewhere.
But a few funds are showing that investing in utilities and water infrastructure and technology companies can pay off, especially for long-term investors looking to diversify their portfolio.
Each holds shares in U.S. water utilities, such as American Water Works, infrastructure companies like Aegion Corp. and technology companies like Xylem, a supplier of energy-saving pumps and controls for hot water systems.
The three ETFs are all up around 15 percent over the past 12 months.
The idea being that as demand for water grows along with the population, so will the need for new infrastructure and upkeep on water systems.
The Swell Clean Water portfolio is managed and investors own shares in the companies and can remove stocks from the portfolio.
It’s up 11 percent over the past 12 months.
For investors considering water-focused funds, it’s best to think of them as a long-term, diversification play.
“As such, the ETFs have less defensive characteristics than traditional utilities ETFs,” Rosenbluth said.
“We think there is investment merit from a diversification perspective other than from an impact investing one.” Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press.

From the plugging of abandoned oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania’s mining regions, to responding to drinking water contamination in the Philadelphia suburbs, to overseeing new natural gas pipelines throughout the state, the Department of Environmental Protection has a lot of priorities to cover but not always enough resources, secretary Patrick McDonnell said recently.
McDonnell said earlier this month the department approved an increase in drinking water fees to pay for new staff in its drinking water safety program.
Now, the program receives about $20 million from the state’s “Act 13” money, which comes from impact fees on natural gas extraction.
“But that’s (only) funding half the program,” McDonnell said.
“One of the conversations we’ll be having here over the next year or two is how we fund that going forward, and what those programs look like.” Resources are also needed to plug as many as half a million abandoned oil and gas wells, some of them existing from the 19th century.
He said lawmakers in Harrisburg seemed to support the proposal during early budget hearings, but that nothing is certain.
That’s a question I wouldn’t be able to answer.” Asked about the most significant issues in the southeast region, McDonnell and Patterson turned first to ongoing perfluorinted chemical water contamination in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
If the state were to make a limit lower than the one recommended by the EPA, it could affect the actions the military would have to take in addressing regional drinking water contamination.
Patterson said the state may try and base its cleanup requirements off the 70 part per trillion drinking water safety limit recommended by the EPA.
An major ongoing concern are potential cuts to EPA funding, which in turn could trickle down to states that receive money from the agency to run delegated programs, such as those for air pollution and clean drinking water.

Home | Environment Union Leader Correspondent MERRIMACK — Despite a petition from more than 700 residents asking Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics to pay for water filtration systems at local schools, the company says it is not prepared to take that action.
Last month, voters adopted the school district’s budget, which includes $128,000 to install central filtration systems at the schools that would treat select faucets and water fountains.
“Testing shows that PFOA levels in the school district’s water are below the state’s 70 ppt standard set by the Environmental Protection Agency for the most sensitive populations based on a lifetime of exposure,” said Pokedoff.
“I have yet to see any action by Saint-Gobain to make up for the years they were a major contributor to the polluted drinking water the citizens and children of Merrimack innocently consumed.
It will be years before we fully understand the full extent of the adverse health ramifications in Merrimack and its surrounding communities,” said Cinda Guagliumi, a Merrimack resident and member of the local school board.
In addition, she said health advisory levels vary between states and experts, and will likely continue to be refined as more data becomes available.
Pokedoff explained that Saint-Gobain recently reached a consent decree to fund the extension of municipal water service in portions of Merrimack, Manchester, Litchfield and Bedford.
Furthermore, she said the company recently agreed to fund a granular activated carbon filtration system on two public wells operated by the Merrimack Village District.
“The Merrimack public water random blood sample conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services last year (shows) at a minimum two to three times the expected serum levels for PFOA.
“These chemicals don’t belong in drinking water and our schools should have been immediately made a chemical-free zone.” Wendy Thomas of Merrimack previously installed a $1,100 water filtration system at her home.

https://us.vocuspr.com/Publish/518041/vcsPRAsset_518041_112155_fef3ddd8-3a34-461c-8cde-6982e6e31b5f_0.jpg ** EPA Announces New Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects ———————————————————— Funding will leverage public and private investments to keep lead and other contaminants out of drinking water and upgrade aging water infrastructure Media contacts: Jennah Durant or Joe Hubbard, R6Press@epa.gov (mailto:R6Press@epa.gov) or 214 665-2200 DALLAS – (April 4, 2018) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of funding that could provide as much as $5.5 billion in loans, which could leverage over $11 billion in water infrastructure projects through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program.
Prospective borrowers seeking WIFIA credit assistance must submit a letter of interest (LOI) by July 6, 2018.
“EPA will play a key role in the President’s infrastructure efforts by incentivizing states, municipalities, and public-private partnerships to protect public health, fix local infrastructure problems, create jobs, and provide clean water to communities.” “Assuring access to clean water is one of EPA’s most important priorities,” said Regional Administrator Anne Idsal.
Leveraging private capital and other funding sources, these projects could support $11 billion in water infrastructure investment and create more than 170,000 jobs.
“An investment in water infrastructure is an investment in our communities,” said Dr. Andrew Sawyers, director of the Office of Wastewater Management.
“The WIFIA program helps improve water quality and protect public health while supporting the local economy.” The WIFIA program will play an important part in making vital improvements to the nation’s water infrastructure and implementing the President’s Infrastructure Plan, which calls for increasing the program’s funding authorization and expanding project eligibility.
Background Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a federal loan and guarantee program at EPA that aims to accelerate investment in the nation’s water infrastructure by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental loans for regionally and nationally significant projects.
WIFIA credit assistance can be used for a wide range of projects, including: · drinking water treatment and distribution projects · wastewater conveyance and treatment projects · enhanced energy efficiency projects at drinking water and wastewater facilities · desalination, aquifer recharge, alternative water supply, and water recycling project · drought prevention, reduction, or mitigation projects EPA will evaluate proposed projects described in the LOIs using WIFIA’s statutory and regulatory criteria as described in the NOFA.
In 2017, for WIFIA’s inaugural round, EPA invited 12 projects in 9 states to apply for more than $2 billion in WIFIA loans.
Environmental Protection Agency, Fountain Place 12th Floor, Suite 1200 1445 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75202-2733 United States

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has given nod to the local self-governments to utilise money from plan fund for distributing potable water to areas where there is acute shortage.Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday reviewed the water scarcity in the state at a meeting with the District Collectors.
According to the order, the grama panchayats in the state can spend Rs 5.5 lakh while municipalities and corporations can spend Rs 11 lakh and Rs 16.5 lakh, respectively, before March 31.The government has also given approval for using Rs 11 lakh for panchayats and Rs 16.5 lakh for municipalities from April 1 to May 31.
The government order also said potable water should be distributed only through the tankers fitted with GPS.
The LSGs can distribute water through the kiosks installed by the Revenue Department.
The district-level chiefs of LSGs should ensure that the Revenue Departments can track down the proceedings through GPS.
The report on the proceedings should be submitted to the respective District Collectors once in two weeks regularly.
The funds can be utilised only after inspecting the GPS log and the log books of the vehicles.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has given nod to the local self-governments to utilise money from plan fund for distributing potable water to areas where there is acute shortage.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday reviewed the water scarcity in the state at a meeting with the District Collectors.
According to the order, the grama panchayats in the state can spend `5.5 lakh while municipalities and corporations can spend `11 lakh and `16.5 lakh, respectively, before March 31.
The government has also given approval for using `11 lakh for panchayats and `16.5 lakh for municipalities from April 1 to May 31.
The government order also said potable water should be distributed only through the tankers fitted with GPS.
The LSGs can distribute water through the kiosks installed by the Revenue Department.
The district-level chiefs of LSGs should ensure that the Revenue Departments can track down the proceedings through GPS.
The report on the proceedings should be submitted to the respective District Collectors once in two weeks regularly.
The funds can be utilised only after inspecting the GPS log and the log books of the vehicles.

Port Elizabeth – Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Zweli Mkhize on Thursday announced that a total amount of R433.524 million would be made available as immediate disaster relief funding for drought for the three most affected provinces, namely the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
Of this amount, R348.846 million is to be transferred in the 2017/18 financial year, with the R84.678 million transferred in the 2018/19 financial year.
Last month, Mkhize on behalf of the inter-ministerial task team on water, declared the prevailing water crisis affecting multiple provinces a national state of disaster.
"The reclassification of the drought as a national disaster by the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, under Government Notice 107/2017 published in Government Gazette 41439 on 13 February 2018, designated the primary responsibility for the coordination and management of the disaster to the national executive who must act in close cooperation with the other spheres of government to deal with the disaster and its consequences," a statement read.
Mkhize emphasised that the declaration of a state of disaster at any level was not primarily aimed at requesting funding, but it is aimed at activating extra-ordinary measures, which might include funding, based on the need and other relevant conditions to address the impact of such a disaster.
African News Agency/ANA

Indigenous Services Canada has announced multi-million dollar funding for the expansion of a water treatment plant at the Six Nations of the Grand River.
The new infrastructure will move clean drinking water to two elementary schools and also benefit 2,000 homeowners.
"It has been quite a journey to get to this point but we’re here and it took a lot of everyone’s time and effort to get here."
He said the existing water distribution system services 1 in 11 residents, which works out to so about nine percent of the population.
The community opened a water treatment plant outside Ohsweken in 2013 that could treat water for more than 13,000 living on the reserve but as of last year only nine percent of the population had access to treated water.
And the project was still running a deficit.
Montour said this expansion will at least double that figure.
The contract for the job has already gone to tender and closes next week.
Montour said work will begin in late February or early March.
The exact figure of the funding is not being released at this time because the amount could influence those bidding on the project, officials said.

Banks that pulled funding from the Dakota Access Pipeline due to strong public opposition are now teaming up with the pipeline’s developer on another controversial fossil fuel project.
Energy Transfer Partners, the lead developer of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline in south-central Louisiana, is using the lessons it learned from the Dakota Access Pipeline saga to win both financial and political support.
Two banks that pulled funding from Energy Transfer Partners’ Dakota Access Project due to public opposition — DNB Capital and US Bank — are both financing Bayou Bridge through credit agreements with Phillips 66 and Energy Transfer, according to a new report released Thursday by the Public Accountability Initiative (PAI), a nonprofit public interest research group.
“But both are still lending to the companies building Bayou Bridge.” Despite Energy Transfer Partners’ dismal safety and environmental track record, financial institutions are lining up to loan the company money.
Altogether, 40 banks have granted access to a total of $12.25 billion in credit to the companies building Bayou Bridge, according to PAI.
If constructed, Bayou Bridge would impact watersheds that supply drinking water for up to 300,000 people.
Even though it’s proposed in a region long accustomed to the impact of the oil and gas industry, the Bayou Bridge project is facing stiff resistance.
These collaborations between industry and academia have become increasingly common across the country.
The LSU report was influential in securing necessary approvals and building public support for the pipeline, according to Galbraith.
The LSU report was prepared by David Dismukes, executive director of the university’s Center for Energy Studies.