Search Results for keywords:"National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System"

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a virtual public meeting for the Animal Agriculture and Water Quality Subcommittee, a part of the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee, on December 6, 2024. This meeting will discuss recommendations for improving the Clean Water Act's permitting program for concentrated animal feeding operations. The public comment period for the meeting has been extended to December 5, 2024. People interested in attending or providing comments should register on the EPA's website.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request about the modification of secondary treatment requirements for discharges into marine waters to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. This request involves public comments that had previously been called for in August 2020, with an additional 30 days now open for further comments. The Clean Water Act section 301(h) allows specific wastewater treatment facilities to receive permits waiving some treatment requirements if they meet strict environmental criteria. The information collected will help ensure these facilities are operating within legal limits to protect water quality and habitats.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the deadlines for public comments on three notices originally published in December 2024. The new deadlines are March 5, 2025, for the notice about 1,3-Butadiene, and April 4, 2025, for the notices regarding Atrazine and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Multi-Sector General Permit for Stormwater Discharges. The EPA is seeking public input to ensure that those affected have more time to review the proposals and provide feedback. Comments can be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a guidance memorandum to help individuals and authorities understand how to apply a Supreme Court decision related to the Clean Water Act. This guidance focuses on situations where pollutants travel through groundwater before reaching the U.S. waters. Although public comments were invited, this document is meant only to clarify existing laws and does not have the force of law itself. More information can be found online or by contacting the EPA directly.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 6 announced a Revised Designation Decision requiring that stormwater discharges from the Los Alamos Urban Area and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico get permit coverage under the Clean Water Act. These areas are contributing to violations of New Mexico's water quality standards. This decision responds to a petition by Amigos Bravos and revises a previous ruling that was sent back for reconsideration by a court. The revised documentation and supplementary information are available online for review.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Tennessee's request to update some of its authorized programs to allow for electronic reporting. This change is part of the Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) which ensures electronic documents are as reliable as paper ones. The Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation (TDEC) will begin using electronic systems for reporting under specific parts of the EPA regulations, like the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). These updates were confirmed after TDEC showed they had the legal ability to implement these electronic systems.

On January 15, 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved Texas's request to manage its own program for regulating specific oil and gas wastewater discharges under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). This means the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) can now issue permits and ensure compliance for oil and gas discharges on land and up to three miles offshore. The EPA will still oversee discharges beyond three miles offshore and any oil spills under the Oil Pollution Act. During the approval process, the EPA considered public comments, some of which supported the transfer of authority due to TCEQ's expertise, while others raised concerns about potential biases and environmental impacts.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed updates to the Clean Water Act methods for analyzing pollutants in effluent. This rule aims to improve data quality and consistency by introducing new methods for detecting specific substances like PFAS and PCB congeners, while withdrawing outdated testing parameters and methods. Additionally, the proposal includes simplifying certain sampling requirements and making minor corrections to existing tables of approved methods. Public comments on this proposal are invited until February 20, 2025.