The theme for our meeting this year is Effectively Communicating Change at the National, State, and Local Level. As we all learned in 2017, communication is a “hot button” issue, and how information is interpreted and processed often depends on the perspective of the recipient. It has been a fascinating study in human reaction to see the same piece of information being interpreted in a diametrically opposing fashion, often predicated on one’s particular political or social views. While WWEMA endeavors to report factual information, it has become quite challenging to know whom to trust as an acceptable news source. This has required a lot more effort on our part to identify ground-truth news reports and place the information in appropriate context.
As we think about our role in reporting information and news to our members and colleagues related to the water industry, I find myself taking much more time to research issues and account for multiple perspectives before I can accurately share that information in a way that can elicit a thoughtful and educated response. Our members are busy and we cannot afford to waste their time barking up the wrong tree. Placing the news in context has become increasingly important. With this as a backdrop, our Washington Forum this year will endeavor to communicate the many changes taking place at the national, state, and local level through the voices of a variety of different experts.
Hot button topics of interest this year include the Administration’s Infrastructure Plan; the changing relationship between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and states through an evolving concept of Cooperative Federalism and what it may mean for regulations going forward; affordability; public-private-partnerships in the context of new infrastructure funding; regionalization and utility assistance partnerships; communications, the press, and the First Amendment; tax law changes and the impact on manufacturing businesses; research and promoting innovative technologies in the water sector; and what we can expect out of Congress in 2018. As you see, there is no lack of topics to discuss, all of which are critical for laying the framework for what it means for business growth in the water sector in 2018 and beyond.
The WWEMA Washington Forum is open to members and non-members alike. Anyone interested in learning more about the event can go to wwema.org/washingtonforum.php. We look forward to a great turnout and a chance to once again collaborate with the larger water sector and communicate our priorities to the Administration, Congress, the EPA, and our water sector colleagues. WW
About the Author: Vanessa M. Leiby is the Executive Director of the Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWEMA) a non-profit trade association founded in 1908. WWEMA’s vision is to be the “voice of water and wastewater technology providers” and its mission is to promote the advancement of technology solutions for clean water that ensures a future sustainable environment and to improve its members’ economic viability. More information about WWEMA can be found at www.wwema.org.
