EPA Proposes Revisions to 404 State Program Regulations

The Clean Water Act of 1977 gave states the opportunity to assume responsibility for permitting discharges of dredged or fill materials into certain water within the state. To date, Michigan is the only state to assume this responsibility. Many states are critical of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) current regulations that establish the criteria and procedures for approving a state's program. In order to alleviate some of these concerns, EPA recently proposed revisions to these regulations which would increase flexibility in program design and implementation and reduce federal oversight subsequent to program approval.