Clarifying Federal General Permits Act

This bill updates how federal “general permits” for water pollution are handled. It lets the EPA issue broad permits that cover many similar discharges in a state, a region, nationwide, or a clearly defined area. These permits apply to discharges that are alike and come from similar sources, so many similar activities can be covered under one permit instead of many individual ones.

If the EPA decides not to replace a general permit when it’s about to expire, it must give public notice at least two years before the permit ends. If a permit expires without that advance notice, the old permit’s rules keep applying to those discharges—and to new discharges that would have qualified—until a new general permit is issued or until two years after the EPA later announces it won’t issue a new one.

Key points:

• Who is affected: People and organizations with discharges covered by federal general permits under the Clean Water Act’s program for pollution discharge permits.
• What changes: EPA can issue general permits across different areas, and there are clear rules to prevent gaps if a general permit expires, including early public notice and temporary carryover of the old permit’s terms.
• When: The notice must come at least two years before a decision to end a permit; if no early notice is given, the old permit’s terms continue until a new permit is issued or up to two years after a later notice not to reissue is published.