The Sierra Club is reviewing the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revision proposal entitled “Current Agency Efforts Regarding Assumption of CWA Section 404”.
The Clean Water Act (CWA) created the regulatory frameworks for water pollutant discharges into waters of the United States and accompanying surface water quality standards. The CWA is based on 1948 legislation called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. This revision of the CWA would “streamline and clarify the requirements and steps necessary for states and tribes to administer programs protecting waterways from discharges of dredged or fill material.”
Section 404 is currently the responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers but will be assumed by the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources.