Opinion ID: 791645
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

Text: 3 The Clean Water Act (the Act), passed in 1972, established the National Pollution Discharge Elimination (pollution permitting) System. That System gave the EPA authority to issue permits for the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters. See 33 U.S.C. § 1342(a). The Act further provides that a state may apply to the EPA to administer the federal pollution permitting program regarding waters within its borders. § 1342(b). The EPA Administrator must determine whether the state has met nine specified criteria and shall approve state applications that meet those criteria. Id. 4 The state transfer provisions of § 1342(b) have proven popular. Arizona was the forty-fifth state to obtain pollution permitting authority from the EPA. See 67 Fed.Reg. 79,629 (Dec. 30, 2002) (announcing approval of Arizona's pollution permitting authority); 65 Fed.Reg. 50,528, 50,529 (Aug. 18, 2000) (listing then-approved states). 5 Once the EPA transfers a permitting program to a state government, the EPA Administrator maintains an oversight role to assure that the state follows Clean Water Act standards. 33 U.S.C. § 1342(c)(2). If the Administrator determines that the state is not following those standards, the Administrator must demand corrective action. If the state does not take such action, the Administrator must withdraw approval of the state program. § 1342(c)(3).