EPA is looking for feedback on Clean Water Act jurisdiction

Some readers may have heard a little bit about the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) creating a rule having to do with the Clean Water Act.  A few years ago, a US Supreme Court Decision made it clear that the EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) needed to clarify which streams and wetlands were under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.  The result has been a scientific literature review and a proposed rule.  With the proposed rule, not much has actually changed in what is regulated and how.  A lot of the rule is focused on clarifying that tributaries to major, navigable rivers are protected and that wetlands which are connected to downstream waters are also covered by the Clean Water Act.

Part of the update was also for EPA to expand the exemptions for agricultural production.  These exemptions are in addition the those that are already established.  There have been questions about what type of agricultural activities are going to be regulated, so the EPA has compiled facts about the proposed rule and the agricultural exemptions.  In some groups, there are concerns that too many farming activities are going to be exempted, while there has been quite a push-back from others about the new rule with the misconception that more agricultural activities are going to be regulated.  The EPA's sites are trying to clarify just what would and would not be under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.

Flood Resilience - Two New Comprehensive Reports

The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) has released Vermont’s Roadmap to Resilience including the recommendations of a broad array of Vermont organizations and agencies.

Vermont’s Roadmap to Resilience includes twenty-three recommendations to increase Vermont’s preparedness for the effects of climate change and extreme weather impacts.

Vermont’s Roadmap to Resilience (Full Report)

Executive Summary

Resilient Vermont Project Documents

Steve Zind of VPR covered the release of the Roadmap 12/17/13 and also noted the release of another report this week by Gavin Smith of the University of North Carolina and Coast Hazards Center.  Gavin Smith’s report was sponsored by EPA’s Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program (SGIA).    

Gavin Smith

Vermont State Agency Policy Options Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Program: Disaster Recovery and Long-Term Resilience Planning in Vermont

The report identifies both long-term flood resilience goals and options for specific state agencies and inter-agency policy opportunities.