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Courtesy of NAA:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army (the agencies) are holding ten teleconferences to hear from stakeholders their recommendations to revise the definition of “Waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act.

Nine of the teleconferences are tailored to a specific sector, i.e., agriculture (row crop, livestock, silviculture); conservation (hunters and anglers); small entities (small businesses, small organizations, small jurisdictions); construction and transportation; environment and public advocacy (including health and environmental justice); mining; industry (energy, chemical, oil/gas); scientific organizations and academia; and stormwater, wastewater management, and drinking water agencies. One of the teleconferences will be open to the general public at large.

The teleconferences are intended to solicit recommendations for the Step 2rulemaking to define “waters of the United States.” During the teleconferences, EPA will provide brief background information on the Step 2 rulemaking and progress to date. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide input, particularly with regard to the charge in the Executive Order.

Persons or organizations wishing to provide verbal recommendations during the teleconference will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. Due to the expected volume of participants, individuals will be asked to limit their oral presentation to three minutes. Supporting materials and feedback from those who did not have an opportunity to speak can be submitted to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2017-0480, at http://www.regulations.gov. The agencies will not be formally responding to verbal or written recommendations.

Aquaculture is defined as a point source within the Clean Water Act.  The appropriate teleconference to participate in is:

Industry (energy, chemical, oil/gas)
Tuesday, October 24, 2017 – 1:00-3:00 pm Eastern
Register here – Registration closes on Tuesday, October 17, 2017

The agencies will also be holding a Small Entities In-Person Meeting on Monday, October 23, 2017, from 9:00 to 11:00 am Eastern at the EPA’s Headquarters located at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 2003. To facilitate the building security process, and to request reasonable accommodation, those who wish to attend must contact Joan B. Rogers, EPA Small Business Ombudsman (202-564-6568 or rogers.joanb@epa.gov). RSVPs will be accepted until Friday, October 13, 2017, or until room capacity has been reached (100 max), whichever occurs first.

For additional information, please visit the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) Rulemaking website at: https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule.