To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to restore a national minimum standard of protection for the water resources of the United States while providing certainty to regulated entities.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · October 27, 2023
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
This bill amends the Clean Water Act to expand federal protection of water resources in response to a 2023 Supreme Court decision that narrowed the scope of federal authority. The legislation redefines "navigable waters" as "protected water resources" to include interstate and intrastate waters such as rivers, streams, wetlands, lakes, and impoundments, along with intermittent and ephemeral streams that currently lack federal protection. The bill aims to restore Clean Water Act protections to tens of millions of acres of wetlands and millions of miles of small streams that support drinking water supplies for over 110 million Americans and provide critical habitats and flood control benefits. Congress finds that these water bodies are hydrologically connected and affect interstate commerce through recreation, agriculture, transportation, and economic activity. The EPA administrator is required to review excluded categories of water bodies within one year and modify or remove exclusions if they cause significant cumulative adverse effects on water integrity, environmental justice communities, or drinking water sources.
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