For many professionals, including water well drillers, “policy involvement” sounds complicated and time consuming. Finding motivation to keep up with legislation can be tough amidst a busy schedule, especially when you don’t feel like it affects you and have no idea where to begin. For those reasons, National Driller reached out to Lauren Schapker, government affairs director of the National Ground Water Association (NGWA), and Michael Maggiora, president of the California Groundwater Association (CGA). Based on their day-to-day experience with both policy and water well drillers, they were able to give us a comprehensive guide to getting involved in policy, along with a solid list of reasons water well drillers should.
The easiest way to get involved in policy, Schapker says, is to join an industry trade association like NGWA or CGA. Groups like these exist to give water well drillers a say in legislation that will impact the work they do. “When you are sort of one fish in a big ocean it’s important to get that trade association backing because it does allow the industry to speak with one voice, which I think is critical,” Schapker says.