EPA Signals Shift In CWA Permitting Strategy In New 'Visioning' Talks

摘要

EPA is shifting the focus of its Clean Water Act (CWA)'s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program away from clearing a backlog of pending permit applications and toward prioritizing the issuance of permits that achieve "environmentally significant" water quality protection goals. During a strategic planning "visioning" session at the Association of Clean Water Administrators' (ACWA) annual meeting Aug. 4 in Oklahoma City, led by EPA's Water Permits Division Director Deborah Nagle, the agency outlined its plans to re-evaluate the aims of the NPDES program "to meet 21st-century water quality challenges," including current fiscal constraints, according to a series of slides presented by EPA at the conference.