The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army (the agencies) are proposing a rule to re-establish the pre-2015 definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) which had been in place for decades. This action is a key step towards solidifying the implementation of a well-known WOTUS approach and supports the agencies’ goal of establishing a durable definition of WOTUS that protects public health, the environment, and downstream communities while supporting economic opportunity, agriculture, and other industries dependent on clean water.
The agencies held a pre-proposal tribal consultation and coordination period on this proposed rule from July 30 – October 4, 2021. The agencies have considered the tribal consultation comments that were received in developing the draft proposed rule. A copy of the prep-proposal tribal consultation summary will be available in the public docket for this proposed rule upon publication in the Federal Register. If you are interested in engaging or consulting with the agencies on the proposed rule, please contact Rose Kwok at cwawotus@epa.gov to make arrangements before the end of the public comment period, which will close 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
For information on submitting written comment on the proposal or to register for the virtual public hearings on this proposed rule, see www.epa.gov/wotus.
To view press release: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-and-army-take-action-provide-certainty-definition-wotus.