Absent National Rule, Environmentalists Seek Stricter Stormwater Permits

摘要

In the wake of EPA's decision earlier this year to shelve its rule requiring stormwater retention at new construction sites nationwide, environmentalists are pursuing a broad strategy of pressing states and EPA to tighten requirements in individual stormwater permits while eyeing new action on rejected petitions that sought permits for currently unregulated stormwater runoff. The groups' focus on strengthening the terms of new and reissued municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permits comes in addition to pending citizen suits in states such as Massachusetts and Oregon where environmentalists are seeking to enforce existing permit requirements they believe EPA and state regulators have ignored.