Regulatory Fairness Act of 2015

To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to confirm the scope of the authority of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to deny or restrict the use of defined areas as disposal sites. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Regulatory Fairness Act of 2015 2. Permits for dredged or fill material Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1344 (c) Denial or restriction of use of specified disposal sites (1) In general During and only during the period beginning on the date on which the Secretary publishes the notice required under subsection (a) of this section and ending once the Secretary issues a permit under such subsection, the Administrator may deny or restrict the use of any defined area identified in such notice as a specified disposal site if the Administrator determines, after notice and opportunity for public comment, that the discharge of dredged or fill material into such defined area will have an unacceptable adverse effect on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas (including spawning and breeding areas), wildlife, or recreational areas. (2) Consultation Before making a determination under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall consult with the Secretary. (3) Explanation of determination The Administrator shall set forth in writing and make publicly available— (A) any findings of the Administrator; (B) the basis of and reasons for making a determination under paragraph (1); and (C) all information and data reviewed in making any determination under paragraph (1). (4) Previous action in absence of notice invalid No previous action by the Administrator to deny or restrict the use or prohibit the specification of any defined area as a disposal site, and which occurred in the absence of the Secretary’s publishing of a notice under subsection (a) of this section, is valid or otherwise enforceable. (5) Previous action after permit issued invalid No previous action by the Administrator to deny or restrict the use or prohibit the specification of any defined area as a disposal site and for which the Secretary had issued a permit under subsection (a) of this section, and which occurred after the Secretary issued the permit, is valid or otherwise enforceable. .

Summary: Regulatory Fairness Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to define the period of time in which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is authorized to restrict or deny a permit for the discharge of dredged or fill materials into navigable waters as the period that: begins on the date that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishes a notice for the discharge of dredged or fill material into navigable waters at specified disposal sites, and ends on the date that the Army Corps issues the permit. The EPA must make all the information and data that it reviewed in making a determination publicly available. The EPA's authority to withdraw a specification of a defined area as a disposal site for the discharge of dredged or fill materials is eliminated. Any previous action by the EPA that occurred outside of this period to deny or restrict a permit or to prohibit the specification of any defined area as a disposal site is nullified.