News Releases from Headquarters › Water (OW)

EPA and Army Announce Public Hearing on Proposed New “Waters of the United States” Definition

Hearing will be held February 27-28, 2019 in Kansas City, Kansas

Contact Information: EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

WASHINGTON — Following President Trump’s directive to provide certainty to American farmers and landowners so that the economy can continue to expand while waters are protected, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) are moving to the next steps in proposing a new definition of the “Waters of the United States.” EPA and the Army will hold a public hearing on the proposed new “Waters of the United States” definition in Kansas City with sessions on February 27 and 28, 2019. All persons wanting to speak are encouraged to register in advance. EPA and the Army will also hold an informational webcast on February 14, 2019.

Public Hearing Logistics: The Wednesday session of the public hearing will convene at 4:00 pm (local time) and will conclude no later than 8:00 pm. The Thursday session will convene at 9:00 am and will conclude no later than 12:00 pm.



The public hearing will be held in the Wyandotte Ballroom of the Reardon Convention Center, 520 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66101. Those interested in speaking at the hearing can register for a three-minute speaking slot. The last day to pre-register to speak at the hearing is February 21, 2019. On February 26, 2019, the agencies will post a general agenda for the hearing on the EPA website at https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/proposed-revised-definition-wotus-public-hearing. It will list pre-registered speakers in approximate order. Registration for the public hearing is available through the EPA website. Additionally, requests to speak will be taken the day of the hearing at the hearing registration desk, pending availability, and a sign language interpreter will be available for the hearing.

Webinar Logistics: EPA and the Army will also hold a public webcast to explain the key elements of the proposed "Revised Definition of Waters of the United States" on February 14, 2019, at 3:30 pm EST. A copy of the entire webcast will be made available afterwards. Webinar registration is limited to 2,000 attendees so interested parties are encouraged to view with colleagues. Registration is available at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1548544876509260301.

Background:

On December 11, 2018, EPA and the Army signed a proposed rule providing a clear, understandable, and implementable definition of “waters of the United States” that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act while respecting the role of states and tribes in managing their own land and water resources. The agencies have submitted the proposed rule to the Office of the Federal Register for publication.

Oral statements and supporting information presented at the public hearing will be considered with the same weight as written statements and supporting information submitted during the public comment period. The agencies will take comments on the proposal for 60 days after publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register. Comments can be submitted online at https://www.regulations.gov. Please follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149.

More information about the public hearing, informational webcast, and the proposed rulemaking, including the pre-publication version of the Federal Register notice, are available at: https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/step-two-revise.