September 5, 2019
TTB G 2019-1
Information Regarding the Clean Water Act
On April 10, 2019, an Executive Order was issued regarding modernizing certain Clean Water Act regulations administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These water quality certification regulations include provisions applicable to agencies who issue Federal permits. Along with other Federal agencies, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has been consulting with EPA pursuant to that Executive Order, which is Executive Order 13868, “Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth.”
Over the last year, TTB has also been actively engaged in reviewing our permit application requirements for the purpose of modernizing our own requirements and, where possible, reducing the information that must be submitted. In the course of this review, TTB identified unnecessary water quality questions. We are, therefore, streamlining the TTB application process by removing those questions from the permit application.
TTB continues to engage with EPA on its modernization project, and we intend to make any necessary changes to our permit application requirements and procedures to implement final EPA rulemaking. EPA’s notice of proposed rulemaking, “Water Quality Certification,” was published in the Federal Register on August 22, 2019, and interested entities (such as affected businesses, States, and tribes) may comment on EPA’s proposals until October 21, 2019, at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA-HQ-OW-2019-0405.