Confidence in Clean Water Permits Act · Introduced in House (2025-06-11)

SEC. 2. Confidence in clean water permits

(a) Compliance with permits

Section 402(k) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act () is amended— 33 U.S.C. 1342(k)
- by striking and inserting the following:
  - (k) Compliance with permits
    - (1) In general
      - Subject to paragraph (2), compliance with
  - (2) Scope
    - For purposes of paragraph (1), compliance with the conditions of a permit issued under this section shall be considered compliance with respect to a discharge of—
      - any pollutant for which an effluent limitation is included in the permit; and
      - any pollutant for which an effluent limitation is not included in the permit that is—
        
        (i) specifically identified as controlled or monitored through indicator parameters in the permit, the fact sheet for the permit, or the administrative record relating to the permit;
        
        (ii) specifically identified during the permit application process as present in discharges to which the permit will apply; or
        
        (iii) whether or not specifically identified in the permit or during the permit application process—
        
        present in any waste streams or processes of the point source to which the permit applies, which waste streams or processes are specifically identified during the permit application process; or
        
        otherwise within the scope of any operations of the point source to which the permit applies, which scope of operations is specifically identified during the permit application process.
- by adding at the end the following:

(b) Technical corrections

Section 402(l)(3) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act () is amended— 33 U.S.C. 1342(l)(3)
- in subparagraph (B)—
  - by striking section 402and inserting this section; and
  - by striking federaland inserting Federal; and
- in subparagraph (C)—
  - by striking Sectionand inserting section;
  - by striking 402(p)(6)and inserting subsection (p)(6);
  - by striking 402(l)(3)(A),and inserting subparagraph (A),; and
  - by striking 402(l)(3)(A).and inserting such subparagraph..

Section 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act () is amended by adding at the end the following: 33 U.S.C. 1342
- (t) Expression of water quality-Based effluent limitations
  - If the Administrator (or a State, in the case of a permit program approved by the Administrator) determines that a water quality-based limitation on a discharge of a pollutant is necessary to include in a permit under this section in addition to any appropriate technology-based effluent limitations included in such permit, the Administrator (or the State) may include such water quality-based limitation in such permit only in the form of a limitation that—
    - specifies the pollutant to which it applies; and
    - clearly describes the manner in which compliance with the limitation may be achieved, which shall include—
      - a numerical limit on the discharge of such pollutant; or
      - a narrative description of required actions (including any measures or practices required to be applied).

H.R. 3897

Table of contents

SEC. 1. Short title

SEC. 2. Confidence in clean water permits