NACEPT Wrestles With Legal, Other Hurdles For State Wetlands Guidance

摘要

An EPA advisory panel is moving forward with efforts to develop recommendations for how EPA can assist states in obtaining authority to issue Clean Water Act (CWA) section 404 dredge-and-fill permits - normally issued by the Army Corps of Engineers - although it is raising concerns that strong opposition from some Corps officials could stymie the effort. Members of the National Advisory Council for Policy and Technology (NACEPT) assumable water subcommittee agreed at a Dec. 2 meeting to form three work groups to tackle legal issues, better define "adjacency" in determining which wetlands are covered by the permits, and gather more information from states on wetlands permitting.