Water carriers have a moment of clarity on the horizon. An area of conflict between legal jurisdiction and technical obligations is being settled through Trump Administration regulatory reforms....more
Last week, I reported that Judge Rosemary Marquez had vacated the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule. I also asked “what’s next”? EPA and the Army Corps have now answered that question, at least for the...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced on Aug. 4, 2021, the start of a long anticipated rulemaking process to revise the regulatory definition of "waters of the U.S."...more
Update June 29, 2020: On June 25, 2020, Ohio EPA issued the Ohio General Permit for Filling Category 1 and Category 2 Isolated Wetlands and Ephemeral Streams. ...more
Sometimes, history repeats itself. Sometimes, that is not a good thing. After the Obama WOTUS rule was promulgated in 2015, the challenges came fast and furious, and in multiple forums. The Supreme Court, as I put it,...more
In these days of working from home and managing countless other demands on our time, we offer this post to help you decide whether to add the latest Clean Water Act (CWA) cases and rules to your must-see legal watch list....more
On May 8, 2020, Ohio EPA issued a public notice for a new general permit, titled Ohio General Permit for Filling Category 1 and Category 2 Isolated Wetlands and Ephemeral Streams. The purpose of the General Permit, as set...more
In the ongoing saga of the Clean Water Act’s so-called “Waters of the United States” or WOTUS rule, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) announced changes to the definition of...more
On April 21, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (the “Rule”) in the Federal Register. ...more
EPA and Army Corps of Engineers New “Waters of the U.S.” Definition Takes Effect on June 22 - On Tuesday, the Federal Register will officially published the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers final...more
On April 21, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) published in the Federal Register their revised rule defining which waterbodies are subject to federal...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published their final rule this week, finally replacing the 2015 rule that “impermissibly expanded the definition of...more
On January 23, 2020, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (the “2020 Rule”), which includes a revised definition of the...more
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently announced publication of its final Navigable Waters Protection Rule to define "Waters of the United...more
The Clean Water Act applies by its terms to “navigable waters,” which the act defines merely as “waters of the United States.” A clear and consistent definition of this critically important phrase, which demarcates the...more
On January 23, 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (the “Agencies”) issued the “Navigable Waters Protection Rule” as the latest attempt to define the phrase “waters of the...more
On January 23, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army announced the finalized Navigable Waters Protection Rule, defining “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act....more
EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Give New Waters of the U.S. Definition - The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers today issued a final rule with a new definition of “Waters of the United States” that...more
Earlier this month, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that a long-term failure by a state to submit to EPA a TMDL for an impaired water can constitute a “constructive submission” of no TMDL, triggering an obligation on...more
WOTUS Definition Court Challenges Continue - The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers published a final rule in the Federal Register that repeals their 2015 Clean Water Rule defining the scope of...more
We are on the eve of a new regulatory definition of "waters of the United States" for the Clean Water Act. The United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") and Army Corps of Engineers ("Corps") completed step one...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its final rule this week to repeal the 2015 rule that “impermissibly expanded the definition of ‘waters of...more
The Trump Administration’s proposed rule defining “Waters of the United States” under the federal Clean Water Act was published last week in the Federal Register....more
On December 11, 2018, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) announced proposed changes to the agencies’ definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). This...more
On December 11, 2018, in a move that follows on the heels of the litigation over the highly controversial 2015 move to redefine “waters of the United States” under the federal Clean Water Act, the U.S. EPA and the Army Corps...more