Washington, D.C. —Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) sent a letter to the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Andrew Wheeler, requesting that information be provided to the Committee on impacts and changes made to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), which manages states’ roles in implementing water quality standards.
Section 401 of the Clean Water Act gives states oversight responsibility for any Federally-permitted activity that may impact state water quality. In April, EPA began the process of limiting implementation of this critical section of the CWA, attempting to narrow states’ oversight authority over their state waters.
Chair DeFazio is requesting EPA provide the Committee with more information on this change, including any records of communication on this matter, data on the number of state certifications under this section, and an explanation of the basis for this proposal.
To read the full letter, click here.