Support H.R. 1764 to Extend NPDES Permit Terms!
Please encourage your Member in the House of Representatives to support H.R. 1764, introduced by Representative John Garamendi. H.R. 1764 would authorize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or a delegated state under the Clean Water Act to issue a municipal clean water agency a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from five to 10 years. This change would support enhanced planning and efficient permitting of local water quality programs, and give utilities the time needed to design, plan and construct necessary treatment facilities and to comply with existing regulatory requirements before imposition of new mandates.
When the Clean Water Act was adopted in 1972, Congress authorized USEPA, or a delegated state, to grant waste discharge permits for a period of no more than five years. At the time, this timeframe for renewal was tailored for the demands of that period and to ensure significant progress toward basic water quality improvements. However, much has changed over the past 45 years.
As you know, the environmental needs of today require new ways of doing business and new technologies to improve water quality. Requirements in NPDES permits are becoming more restrictive, and the treatment technologies necessary to meet those limits are becoming more expensive and time intensive to implement. At the same time, it is widely understood that the nation's most challenging water quality problems do not derive from traditional point source dischargers. Longer permit terms would allow states to direct more resources to nonpoint and watershed-based solutions instead of a perpetual cycle of five-year NPDES permit renewals. Standard permit reopener provisions already provided by statute allow permits to address new conditions prior to permit expiration. Additionally, if noncompliance issues surface, the law’s enforcement and compliance provisions would allow for appropriate actions to be taken, including revisions to the existing permit conditions.
The Water Environment Federation, Association of California Water Agencies, California Association of Sanitation Agencies, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, National Water Resources Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors WateReuse Association, and others support this H.R. 1764, and we hope you will actively support its passage by reaching out to your House Member and encouraging he or she to support the legislation!
Support H.R. 1764 to Extend NPDES Permit Terms!
Please encourage your Member in the House of Representatives to support H.R. 1764, introduced by Representative John Garamendi. H.R. 1764 would authorize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or a delegated state under the Clean Water Act to issue a municipal clean water agency a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from five to 10 years. This change would support enhanced planning and efficient permitting of local water quality programs, and give utilities the time needed to design, plan and construct necessary treatment facilities and to comply with existing regulatory requirements before imposition of new mandates.
When the Clean Water Act was adopted in 1972, Congress authorized USEPA, or a delegated state, to grant waste discharge permits for a period of no more than five years. At the time, this timeframe for renewal was tailored for the demands of that period and to ensure significant progress toward basic water quality improvements. However, much has changed over the past 45 years.
As you know, the environmental needs of today require new ways of doing business and new technologies to improve water quality. Requirements in NPDES permits are becoming more restrictive, and the treatment technologies necessary to meet those limits are becoming more expensive and time intensive to implement. At the same time, it is widely understood that the nation's most challenging water quality problems do not derive from traditional point source dischargers. Longer permit terms would allow states to direct more resources to nonpoint and watershed-based solutions instead of a perpetual cycle of five-year NPDES permit renewals. Standard permit reopener provisions already provided by statute allow permits to address new conditions prior to permit expiration. Additionally, if noncompliance issues surface, the law’s enforcement and compliance provisions would allow for appropriate actions to be taken, including revisions to the existing permit conditions.
The Water Environment Federation, Association of California Water Agencies, California Association of Sanitation Agencies, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, National Water Resources Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors WateReuse Association, and others support this H.R. 1764, and we hope you will actively support its passage by reaching out to your House Member and encouraging he or she to support the legislation!