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On Nov. 17, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Adam Telle and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin signed a proposed rule aiming to streamline the federal permitting process under the Clean Water Act by clarifying the definition of “waters of the United States.”

On July 3, ABC sent a letter in support of H.R.3898, the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today Act. The letter urges the U.S. House of Representatives to advance the legislation, providing much-needed, commonsense reforms to the Clean Water Act.

On April 23, ABC urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to streamline the federal permitting process under the Clean Water Act while protecting America’s navigable waters from pollution in comments submitted as part of the Waters Advocacy Coalition.

ABC praised President Trump for issuing an executive order requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise the controversial Waters of theUnited States rule on Feb. 28. The rule had been previously been blocked under a nationwide stay issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

A bipartisan group of legislators in the United States Senate voted 55-43 to pass a resolution (S.J.Res. 22) that nullifies the controversial “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule. The resolution was introduced by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Ia.) following a procedural vote on the ABC-supported Federal Water Quality Protection Act (S. 1140), which was blocked by Senate Democrats in a 57-41 vote (short of the 60 votes needed to advance). The resolution also prevents the agencies from issuing a similar version of the regulation in the future.

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals placed a nationwide stay  on the Obama Administration’s controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) final rule on Oct. 9. The final rule, issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) May 27, greatly expands the Administration’s jurisdiction over water and land uses across the country under the Clean Water Act.

The U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee recently released a set of memos from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps or USACE) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that stated their concerns with the“Waters of the U.S.” rule (WOTUS). The rule dramatically expands the scope of federal authority over water and land uses across the country.  The rule has been finalized and is set to go into effect on Aug. 28.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the ABC-supported Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Act of 2015 (H.R.1734) July 22. The bill was sponsored by Rep. David McKinley (R-W. Va.) and was cosponsored by a bipartisan group of 44 representatives. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued the final “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule May 27. The final rule will go into effect 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register (rule has not been published). 

In the most recent regulatory agenda released Nov. 21, expected action items from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are outlined and include the Clean Water Act, the Power Plant Rule and the Lead Paint Renovation Repair and Painting Program.