The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of the Army recently called on communities to propose roundtables to provide input on the regional implications of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The regional roundtables will engage stakeholders to help inform the agencies’ enduring definition of WOTUS.
“Crafting a lasting definition of WOTUS means that we must bolster our understanding of how different regions experience and protect our nation’s vital waters,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “These roundtables will provide a great opportunity to deepen our shared knowledge. They also represent one opportunity—in a suite of strategic tools—the agencies are utilizing to obtain input on this important topic.”
EPA and Army are announcing a process for stakeholders to submit nomination letters with a slate of participants to potentially be selected as one of ten geographically focused roundtables. EPA and Army are seeking to understand perspectives:
Highlighting how different regions are affected by the various WOTUS definitions.
Learning about stakeholder experiences, challenges, and opportunities under different regulatory regimes.
Facilitating engagement across diverse perspectives to inform the development of a durable and workable definition of WOTUS.
The agencies’ experience implementing previous definitions of WOTUS has highlighted the regional variability of water resources and the importance of close engagement with stakeholders to better understand their unique circumstances. The regional roundtables will provide opportunities to discuss geographic similarities and differences, particular water resources that are characteristic of or unique to each region, and site-specific feedback about implementation.
The agencies requires that each nomination for a roundtable include a proposed slate of participants representing perspectives of agriculture; conservation groups; developers; drinking water/wastewater management; environmental organizations; environmental justice communities; industry, and other key interests in that region. The agencies also request that organizers submit their self-nomination letter via email not later than November 3, 2021.
