EPA is clarifying its NPDES Stormwater Phase II regulations due to the Census Bureau’s recent change that discontinued the practice of defining and publishing the location of “urbanized area.” EPA has relied on this designation for some small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) since the promulgation of the Phase II regulations in 1999. EPA is replacing references in the …
EPA is proposing revisions to the Federal Clean Water Act water quality standards (WQS) regulation to clarify and prescribe how WQS must protect aquatic and aquatic-dependent resources reserved to tribes. The proposed rule had been published in the Federal Register, and the comment period is now open. Comments must be received on or before March 6, 2023. For more information, …
This week the House of Representatives approved the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022. This bill is being used as the vehicle for a compromise fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, which now includes WRDA. WRDA is bipartisan legislation that includes projects of national, regional, and local significance which help strengthen the Nation’s global competitiveness, grow the economy, ensure …
EPA announced the availability of $52 million in grants to help communities improve essential stormwater infrastructure. EPA’s Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants will be used by states to invest in projects that reduce flooding and help prevent contaminants from polluting waterways. For more information, click here.
EPA announced it has achieved major improvement in compliance with Clean Water Act permits over the past five-year period. In FY 2018, EPA and 47 states agreed to collaborate on a goal to reduce significant noncompliance among facilities permitted under the Clean Water Act by 50 percent over five years. EPA is now announcing that this collaborative effort has achieved …
A bill, SB226, was introduced in the Texas State Legislature that would require the use of green infrastructure in new state buildings. For the bill text and the current status of this bill, please visit: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=SB226
More than thirty (30) water agencies and providers have committed to take additional actions to reduce water demands to help protect the Colorado River system. These additional actions include expanding water efficiency programs, reducing and replacing non-functional, decorative grass by 30 percent, increasing water reuse and recycling programs, and implementing water efficiency strategies and best practices. For more information, please …
Forest Service is announcing up to $40 million will be provided to Trout Unlimited as part of a five (5)-year agreement to improve watersheds on national forests and grasslands, which are home to many of America’s most important trout and salmon species. Projects include clean-up of abandoned mines and removing barriers to improve fish passage, as well as stream habitat …
California air quality officials released a climate plan this week, which aims for a 48% reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030—up from the previous 40% mandate—compared to 1990 levels. It also commits to no new gas plant builds in the state, and an equitable multi-agency process that transitions away from oil extraction and refining. For more information, please visit: https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/california-unveils-plan-to-reach-carbon-neutrality-by-2045/ar-AA14bD21
The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) filed on open comment opposing the EPA’s proposed rule to designate two key PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances. The current proposal would require facilities to report any releases of the substances that exceed a certain quantity. NACWA’s comment states that public wastewater and stormwater systems are passive receivers of these chemicals and …
As disasters like hurricanes, floods and wildfires become more frequent, severe and expensive, residents and policymakers are increasingly turning toward community land trusts (CLTs), which are nonprofits that buy land to stave off displacement and ensure long-term affordability. Many of these CLTs are also rebuilding with resiliency in mind, such as the Florida Community Land Trust who rebuilt Hurricane-Irma damaged …
EPA announced the selection of twenty-nine (29) Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs) that will help communities across the country access federal funding for infrastructure and greenhouse gas reduction projects that improve public health and environmental protection. The EFCs will deliver targeted technical assistance to local governments, states, Tribes, and non-governmental organizations to protect public health, safeguard the environment, and advance environmental …
Washington state has advanced first-in-the-nation rules that would require all new buildings to use electric heat pumps, which would give the state some of the country’s strictest energy efficiency codes. For more information, please visit: https://www.chronline.com/stories/new-dwellings-in-washington-must-be-warmed-by-heat-pumps-state-board-rules,303106
Representatives from EPA and the White House Council on Environmental Quality gathered on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland to recognize the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act and to celebrate the progress made under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and its amendments. In the 1960s, the Cuyahoga River infamously caught fire more than a dozen times, …
Working in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), farmers are using proven conservation practices to help improve water quality downstream. These conservation practices include the use of cover crops, grassed waterways, and no-till practices. For more information, please visit: https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2022/10/19/voluntary-conservation-works-improve-water-quality
