Regulatory Certainty Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-896
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Gibbs, Bob [R-OH-7]
Introduced: 2015-02-11
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Army Corps of Engineers

Department of Defense

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Environmental regulatory procedures

Licensing and registrations

Navigation, waterways, harbors

Solid waste and recycling

Water quality
Latest action: action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-02-11
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Regulatory Certainty Act of 2015 - This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to limit the period during which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may prohibit the specification, or restrict the use, of an area as a disposal site for discharges of dredged or fill materials into waters of the United States to the period that:</p> <ul> <li>begins on the date that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides notice to the EPA that the Corps has completed all procedures for processing an application for a permit for dredged or fill material and is ready to determine whether the permit should be issued; and </li> <li>ends on the date that the Corps issues the permit. </li> </ul> <p>The Corps must ensure that the period consists of at least 30 consecutive days.</p> <p>The Corps may issue a permit for dredged or fill material only after the Corps provides notice to the EPA.</p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 896 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 11, 2015 Mr. Gibbs introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify when the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to prohibit the specification of a defined area, or deny or restrict the use of a defined area for specification, as a disposal site under section 404 of such Act, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Regulatory Certainty Act of 2015 . 2. Permits for dredged or fill material (a) In general Section 404(c) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1344(c) ) is amended— (1) by striking (c) and inserting (c)(1) ; (2) in paragraph (1), as so designated, by inserting during the period described in paragraph (2) and before after notice and opportunity for public hearings ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (2) (A) The period during which the Administrator may prohibit the specification (including the withdrawal of specification) of any defined area as a disposal site, or deny or restrict the use of any defined area for specification (including the withdrawal of specification) as a disposal site, under paragraph (1) shall— (i) begin on the date that the Secretary provides notice to the Administrator that the Secretary has completed all procedures for processing an application for a permit under this section relating to the specification and is ready to determine, in accordance with the record and applicable regulations, whether the permit should be issued; and (ii) end on the date that the Secretary issues the permit. (B) The Secretary shall ensure that the period described in subparagraph (A) consists of not fewer than 30 consecutive days. (C) The Secretary may issue a permit under this section only after the Secretary provides notice to the Administrator in accordance with this paragraph. . (b) Applicability The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply to a permit application submitted under section 404(a) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1344(a) ) after the date of enactment of this Act.