Questioning water pollution permit length

[Noctis]

Some states want to extend the timeframe for water pollution permits up to ten years, according to an E&E news article. I don't have the full article, but I believe the most important points are visible.

I find the idea hard to understand. Shouldn't we check the pollution level more often to avoid health issues?

 

[Eric]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm not super familiar with Section 402 NPDES permits but understand five years is the statutorily required maximum. That is, the requirement is included in the Clean Water Act itself (see Section 402(b)(1)(B)) and wasn't added separately in federal regulation. It would therefore take an act of Congress to change, which probably isn't politically feasible.

I recall that legislation extending the maximum term of NPDES permits from 5 to 10 years was voted out of committee earlier this year (i.e., H.R.7023; "Creating Confidence in Clean Water Permitting Act"), for what it's worth. It would be surprising if efforts to amend the Clean Water Act gained any further traction beyond that.