News Briefs: Utilities Ask Congress for Billions in Relief as Industrial Customers Scale Back Operations

Public water and wastewater utilities are asking Congress for $12.5 billion in relief to offset lost revenue as industrial and commercial wastewater customers scale back operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and service is restored to delinquent rate-payers.The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) made the request, writing that as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 response, the nation’s public clean water agencies are at the front lines of ensuring Americans have reliable, critical clean water services.The impacts to these utilities will be enormous, according to NACWA, and the association claims that:Without federal assistance, the “cost of writing off customer