[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 26 (Thursday, February 7, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 2483-2484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-01483]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
33 CFR Part 328
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Parts 110, 112, 116, 117, 122, 232, 300, 302, and 401
[EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149]
RIN 2040-AF75
Revised Definition of ``Waters of the United States''
AGENCY: Department of the Army; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of public hearing.
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SUMMARY: On December 11, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency and
the U.S. Department of the Army (the agencies) signed a proposed rule
revising the definition of ``waters of the United States'' to clarify
the scope of waters federally regulated under the Clean Water Act. The
agencies are announcing that a public hearing will be held in Kansas
City, Kansas on February 27 and 28, 2019, to provide interested parties
the opportunity to present data, views, or information concerning the
proposed rule. The pre-publication version of this proposal can be
found at https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/step-two-revise.
DATES: The agencies will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, February
27 and Thursday, February 28, 2019, in Kansas City, Kansas. Please
refer to the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for additional
information on the public hearing.
ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held in the Wyandotte Ballroom of the
Reardon Convention Center, 520 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas
66101. The Wednesday session will convene at 4:00 p.m. (local time) and
will conclude no later than 8:00 p.m. and the Thursday session will
convene at 9:00 a.m. and will conclude no later than 12:00 p.m.
A complete set of documents related to the proposal will be
available for public inspection through the Federal eRulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149 once the
notice of proposed rulemaking publishes in the Federal Register.
Documents can also be viewed at the Environmental Protection Agency
Docket Center, located at 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 3334,
Washington, DC between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding legal holidays. In addition, the pre-publication version of
the notice of proposed rule, the economic analysis for the proposed
rule, and the resource and programmatic assessment for the proposed
rule are available at https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/step-two-revise.
If you are unable to attend the public hearing you will be able to
submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149,
to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments. All submissions received must include the Docket ID No. for
this rulemaking. Comments received may be posted without change to
https://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal information
provided. For additional information on the public hearing, see the
``Public Participation'' heading of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this document.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Damaris Christensen, Office of
Water (4504-T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-2428;
email address: [email protected]; or Ms. Cindy Barger, Office of
the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, 441 G Street NW,
Washington DC 20014; telephone number: (202) 761-0038.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On December 11, 2018, the agencies signed a proposed rule defining
the scope of waters federally regulated under the Clean Water Act, in
light of the U.S. Supreme Court cases in United States v. Riverside
Bayview Homes, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. United
States, and Rapanos v. United States, and consistent with Executive
Order 13778, signed on February 28, 2017, entitled ``Restoring the Rule
of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the `Waters of the
United States' Rule.'' The agencies are holding a public hearing in
Kansas City, Kansas on February 27 and
[[Page 2484]]
28, 2019, to provide interested parties the opportunity to present
data, views, or information concerning the proposed rule. The agencies
have submitted the proposed rule to the Office of the Federal Register,
and it will be published separately in the Federal Register. The
comment period on the proposed action will end 60 days after the notice
of proposed rulemaking publishes in the Federal Register. The pre-
publication version of the proposed rule can be found at https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/step-two-revise and will be replaced with the
official version of the notice after it publishes.
II. Public Participation
A. Participation in Public Hearing
The public is invited to speak during the public hearing on
February 27 and 28, 2019. The agencies will begin pre-registering
speakers for the hearing upon signature of this document. Those
interested in speaking at the hearing can sign up for a three-minute
speaking slot within an identified 45-minute timeframe. To register to
speak at the hearing, please use the online registration form available
at https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/proposed-revised-definition-wotus-public-hearing. The last day to pre-register to speak at the hearing
will be February 21, 2019. On February 26, 2019, the agencies will post
a general agenda for the hearing that will list pre-registered speakers
in approximate order at: https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/proposed-revised-definition-wotus-public-hearing.
The agencies will make every effort to follow the schedule as
closely as possible on the day of the hearing; however, please plan for
the hearings to run either ahead of schedule or behind schedule.
Additionally, requests to speak will be taken the day of the hearing at
the hearing registration desk. The agencies will make every effort to
accommodate all speakers who arrive and register, although preferences
on speaking times may not be available.
Each commenter will have three minutes to provide oral testimony.
The agencies encourage commenters to provide the agencies with a copy
of their oral testimony electronically (via email) or in hard copy
form.
The agencies may ask clarifying questions during the oral
presentations but will not respond to the presentations at that time.
Written statements and supporting information submitted during the
comment period will be considered with the same weight as oral comments
and supporting information presented at the public hearing. Written
comments must be received by the last day of the comment period, as
specified in the notice of proposed rulemaking. Verbatim transcripts of
the hearing and written statements will be included in the docket for
the rulemaking.
Please note that any updates made to any aspect of the hearing will
be posted online at https://www.epa.gov/wotus-rule/proposed-revised-definition-wotus-public-hearing. While the agencies expect the hearing
to go forward as set forth above, please monitor our website for any
updates. The agencies do not intend to publish a document in the
Federal Register announcing updates.
The agencies will not provide audiovisual equipment for
presentations. Any media presentations should be submitted to the
public docket at https://www.regulations.gov/, identified by Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0149. A sign language interpreter will be available
for the hearing. If you require the service of a translator or other
special accommodations such as audio description, please pre-register
for the hearing and describe your needs by February 20, 2019. We may
not be able to arrange accommodations without advanced notice.
Dated: January 31, 2019.
John T. Goodin,
Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, Office of Water,
Environmental Protection Agency.
Dated: February 1, 2019.
Ryan A. Fisher,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works),
Department of the Army.
[FR Doc. 2019-01483 Filed 2-6-19; 8:45 am]
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