Sponsor
Mike Collins
Representative · R-GA
Representative · R-GA
Requires EPA authority for general NPDES permits and mandates 2-year notice before non-reissuance; if no notice, expired permit terms remain for up to two years or until replaced.
The bill preserves permit coverage and reduces short-term compliance uncertainty by extending expiring general NPDES permits and enabling broader general permits, at the trade-off of potentially delaying stronger, locally tailored pollution controls that protect water quality.
Utilities, hospitals, and other facilities covered by an expiring general NPDES permit keep their existing permit terms when reissuance is delayed, reducing immediate compliance uncertainty and near-term enforcement risk.
State and local governments avoid regulatory gaps because permitting coverage for similar discharges is maintained when EPA delays reissuing general permits, preserving program continuity.
Authorizing EPA to issue nationwide, regional, or state general permits for similar categories can streamline permitting and reduce administrative burden for regulated sources and governments.
Communities—especially rural areas and those near sensitive waters—could face delayed water-quality improvements because expired permit terms may be extended up to two years, potentially locking in outdated limits or technologies.
Using nationwide or regional general permits risks imposing one-size-fits-all requirements that reduce tailoring to local waterbody conditions and could undermine protections for sensitive waters.
The two-year advance Federal Register notice requirement (when EPA decides not to reissue) could increase administrative burden, delay programmatic decisions, raise EPA workload, and elevate litigation risk for state programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to general permits under the national pollutant discharge elimination system, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 11, 2025 by Mike Collins · Last progress June 11, 2025
Amends the Clean Water Act to clarify EPA authority to issue general NPDES permits for categories of similar discharges at state, regional, nationwide, or other delineated-area levels. If EPA decides not to reissue a general permit, the agency must publish notice at least two years before the permit’s expiration; if EPA fails to give that notice, the expired permit’s terms continue to apply to covered discharges until a new general permit is issued or for up to two years after EPA announces it will not reissue a permit.