By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Members of the Hays and Russell communities met with the regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency this week as he traveled across western Kansas.
Jim Macy, who leads EPA Region 7, which covers Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, said one of his priorities since taking office in early 2025 has been traveling throughout the region to meet with communities firsthand rather than waiting for concerns to come to the agency.
"I just feel it's important to go out and meet the people who we work with, meet them on their terms, on their soil, and listen and try to understand more about what they're doing," Macy said.
During a roundtable discussion Tuesday in Hays, Macy met with officials from Hays and Russell to discuss collaborative efforts to strengthen water supplies in western Kansas, where limited water resources continue to challenge communities.
Macy praised the partnership between the two cities, saying local leaders are tackling complex issues through regional cooperation.
"They're doing some amazing things," Macy said. "It was a treat for me to sit down in a room with two communities that get along, have shared goals and shared opportunities to fix a pretty significant water issue here in western Kansas."
While the cities wait for the R9 water project to be approved by the courts, they are looking for ways to help fund the project, and one option could be through the EPA.
Macy explained while State Revolving Fund grants and loans provide assistance for many water projects, larger regional efforts often require additional financing. He pointed to the EPA's Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or WIFIA, program as a potential tool that could help communities accelerate major infrastructure improvements.
"If they are approved by this WIFIA financing, then they could make this project go further and faster," he said.
Regional collaboration, he added, is exactly the type of partnership the agency hopes to support.
"We support communities that have similar problems, are close enough to work together and solve a larger, more complex problem like water conservation and water quantity issues," Macy said.
Macy said the EPA also is working with farmers to ensure water quality remains a priority. That means partnering with agricultural producers and communities across the state.
"Many say farmers are the first stewards of the land," he said. "They have a big stakeholder in that interest because it is their land that they're trying to protect."
Macy said the EPA works closely with agricultural producers through its oversight of pesticide registrations, labeling requirements and inspections to help ensure products are used safely and as intended.
As western Kansas continues searching for long-term water solutions, Macy said collaboration among local governments, state agencies and federal partners will remain essential to preserving the region's water resources and supporting future economic growth.
"We don't wait for people to come to Lenexa and bring us problems," Macy said. "We like to go out and visit with folks on their own turf, see the sites, listen to our constituencies and try to do the best we can for the American people."