Association of Clean Water Administrators

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EPA 2018 Year in Review

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“This report highlights key steps we have taken to achieve this goal and to protect the environment and public health. In 2018, we have been particularly focused on providing greater certainty to the American public: certainty in our EPA programs; certainty to the states, tribes, and local governments; and certainty on how we communicate risk. The American public have a right to know the truth about the risks they face in their daily lives and how we are responding. It is our responsibility to explain it to them clearly and consistently.”

ACWA/ASWM Letter on Sec. 404(g) of the CWA

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We encourage EPA to consider these issues during the rulemaking process, as well as the following: 1) additional uncertainty about assumable waters in response to ongoing Water of the United States proposed rulemaking; 2) limited state and tribal experience with assumption for other states and tribes to build on; 3) the possibility of allowing partial assumption; and 4) the impact of assumption on consistency with federal statutes such as the Endangered Species Act, National Historical Preservation Act, etc., considerations. Most importantly, we strongly encourage EPA to continue an engaged stakeholder process with states and tribes.

Example Letter to State Agencies on Nutrients

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EPA – in partnership with USDA – is encouraging increased engagement and a reinvigoration of state, tribal and federal efforts to reduce excess nutrients in waterways, with a focus on market-based and other collaborative pollutant reduction approaches. The Agencies are committed to working with federal agencies, states, tribes and stakeholders such as agricultural producers, wastewater and drinking water service providers, and conservation organizations, to develop solutions tailored to the needs of specific communities and watersheds.

Coalition Letter on Potential Changes to Sec. 401

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We urge you to reject any changes to agency rules, guidance, and/or policy that may diminish, impair, or subordinate states’ well-established sovereign and statutory authorities to protect water quality within their boundaries. Any regulatory action related to states’ CWA Section 401 authority raises significant federalism concerns, and therefore, we request that EPA engage in meaningful and substantive consultation with state officials before the commencement of such action.
With the adoption of the CWA, Congress purposefully designated states as co-regulators under a system of cooperative federalism that recognizes state authority over the allocation, administration, protection, and development of water resources. Section 101 of the CWA clearly expresses Congress’s intent to:
…recognize, preserve, and protect the primary responsibilities and rights of States to prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution, to plan the development and use (including restoration, preservation, and enhancement) of land and water resources, and to consult with the Administrator in the exercise of his authority under this chapter.
This declaration demonstrates Congress’s understanding that a one-size-fits-all approach to water management and protection does not accommodate the practical realities of geographic and hydrologic diversity among states.

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