The CLEAR Waters Act would narrow the definition of "navigable waters" under federal water pollution law by creating specific exclusions from federal regulation. The bill exempts waste treatment systems (like lagoons and treatment ponds), ephemeral water features that only flow during rainfall, and groundwater from being classified as regulated waters. It also allows the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to jointly determine additional water features that should be excluded from federal oversight. This legislation would primarily affect agricultural operations, industrial facilities, and developers who currently operate under stricter federal regulations for these water categories, potentially reducing their compliance requirements. The bill contains no specific funding provisions or implementation timeline mentioned in the text provided.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.