Proposed Rule to Restore Section 401 Authority Under Clean Water Act

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced a proposed rule to update the regulatory requirements for water quality certification under Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401. The USEPA says the proposed rule would strengthen the authority of States, territories, and Tribes to protect vital water resources while supporting an efficient, predictable, and common-sense certification process. Read More

Public Comments Accepted on WOTUS Definition

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and U.S. Department of the Army (Army) announced a proposed rule to re-establish the pre-2015 definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) with updates to reflect consideration of Supreme Court decisions. USEPA says the action advances the goal of establishing a durable definition of WOTUS that protects public Read More

MPCA Accepting Public Comments on Draft Impaired Waters List

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) released its proposed impaired waters list for 2022, which includes 305 water bodies with 417 new impairments, bringing the total to 2,904 water bodies with 6,168 impairments. For the first time, the MPCA listed waters in Greater Minnesota with perfluorinated alkylated substances (PFAS) contamination. Other notable waters on the 2022 list include the Root River in southeastern Read More

Lead & Copper Rule Delayed, More Public Input Requested

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced a delay in the effective date of the Revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) to provide time to seek further public input. To accomplish this goal, the USEPA has posted two notices regarding the revised LCR and announced plans to hold virtual listening sessions in April and May. The Read More