WOTUS 2022 – Rule 1
On February 7, 2022, WSWC and several of our member states submitted comments on the proposed rule, "Revised Definition of the Waters of the United States" (86 FR 69372). A selection of letters is included below.
Policy Letters
Letters to Congress and the Administration on behalf of the
Western States Water Council
WOTUS Letter to EPA and Corps
On October 4, the WSWC sent a letter to the EPA and Army (Civil Works) expressing the need for more robust and ongoing consultation with states on the development of a new rule defining the jurisdictional scope of “waters of the United States.”
State Comments on EPA’s Request for WOTUS Recommendations
On September 3, 2021, the public comment period closed on the EPA's Request for Recommendations: Waters of the United States. The following links are comments submitted by some of our states, sharing their positive and negative experiences under different WOTUS regulatory regimes.
Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule
On August 2, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) closed the comment period for its Intention to Reconsider and Revise the Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule (Docket #EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0302-0001). EPA’s notice of intent indicated that its revisions...
Rural and Tribal Water Infrastructure
The Western States Water Council, Native American Rights Fund, and National Congress of American Indians sent a joint letter to various Congressional committees, urging them to prioritize federal funding to meet urgent tribal and rural water infrastructure needs as they consider potential infrastructure funding packages.
Letter to EPA re: Section 401 Certification Rule Review
On April 23, 2021, the Council sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency asking for an expedient review of the Section 401 Certification Final Rule that went into effect on September 11, 2020. See full letter...