Speak Out About Controlling Post-Construction Stormwater Pollution

U.S. EPA announces Public Input and Listening Sessions for Stormwater Rule-making

EPA has scheduled five listening sessions to receive input from the public on its upcoming rulemaking on stormwater discharges from new development and redevelopment (i.e., post-construction) and other regulatory improvements to the stormwater program. In addition, EPA wants to provides the opportunity for the public to voluntarily provide information on current stormwater control practices that retain stormwater on-site including design, performance, operation and maintenance, cost, and benefit information.

As some of you may know, at the end of October, EPA published its proposed "Information Collection Request" (otherwise known as a survey) from entities subject to municipal and construction stormwater permits and states who implement the programs. Comments on these proposed surveys are due December 29. See Federal Register notice for where to submit comments.

EPA has heard concerns about the limited scope of their information collection, and has apparently set up these listening sessions to address those concerns. Registration for the listening sessions must occur by January 15.

The locations and registration links are as follows:

• January 19, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA Region 5 Office, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604
• January 20, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA Region 9 Office, 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105
• January 25, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA Region 8 Office, 1595 Wynkoop Street Denver, CO 80202-1129
• January 26, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. EPA Region 6 Office, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200 Dallas, Texas 75202
• January 28, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA HQ Office, Ariel Rios Building 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004

We encourage you to read more about the Information Collection Request. Here is a link to a brief fact sheet. There is much more information, including the draft surveys, on EPA's stormwater rule-making website.

Among other things, it would be useful for EPA to hear from folks in Regions 1, 2, 4, 7, and 10 for whom listening session have not been set up. (Interested parties in Region 3 are undoubtedly expected to come to the DC session). At the very least, there should be additional time for folks in these Regions to be able to submit more detailed comments.