EPA Guide Seen Having Uneven Impact On States' Water Act Determinations

摘要

EPA's pending guidance for determining whether marginal waters are subject to Clean Water Act (CWA) requirements is expected to have an uneven regulatory impact on states, with some regulators in arid states worrying the guide will expand their permit and assessment workloads while other officials say the guidance will improve coordination with federal permitting agencies and bring federal requirements in line with stricter state standards. The guidance, which would expand the CWA's scope over some waters, has been under review at the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) since late December; EPA officials have said it will be released soon for public comment but have not set a specific date. State officials have been communicating initial concerns to EPA officials after reviewing an internal draft of the document obtained in February by Inside EPA.