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HIGHLIGHTS
On January 12, the Department of the Interior established a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service to consolidate wildfire mitigation and response functions previously managed by BIA, BLM, NPS, and FWS. Fire Chief Brian Fennessy was selected to lead the new service.
On January 15, EPA proposed a rule revising Clean Water Act Section 401 regulations to limit state water quality reviews to point-source discharges rather than evaluating entire projects.
On January 15, the Senate passed a FY2026 appropriations package covering Commerce–Justice–Science, Energy and Water, and Interior–Environment programs, following House passage on January 8. The bill provides $6.1B for NOAA, $24.44B for NASA, $10.4B for the Army Corps of Engineers, and $8.8B for EPA, largely rejecting proposed administration cuts.
On January 13, the House Science Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing on the role of weather satellites in supporting national security and military operations. Witnesses from NOAA, the Air Force, and the Navy emphasized the military’s heavy reliance on NOAA satellite data and warned that loss of these systems would severely degrade global operations.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Water Workforce Development Virtual Workshop
On Wednesday, January 29, the WSWC and ICWP will jointly host a virtual discussion-based workshop on Water Workforce Development. Our previous webinar explored various approaches to hiring and recruitment, aging workforce concerns, the need to attract qualified technical candidates, interdisciplinary pathways into water careers, and other workforce development strategies. This workshop will continue the discussion with an opportunity for more participants to share experiences, concerns, and solutions. To register for the workshop, please see: https://westernstateswater.org/events/icwp-wswc-water-workforce-development-workshop-no-2/
WSWC Spring Meetings
The WSWC Spring (209th) Meetings and Washington Roundtable, jointly hosted by the Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP), will be held from April 21-24, 2026.