The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold in January 2010 in select cities to inform the public and solicit feedback on upcoming rules to strengthen the national stormwater program. EPA is particularly focused on further restricting stormwater discharges from newly developed and redeveloped construction sites. In addition to holding public meetings this month, EPA recently requested the construction industry's feedback on a draft "industry questionnaire" that the Agency plans to distribute this spring to collect detailed financial and technical information from real estate developers and general contractors to guide and inform the new stormwater runoff rulemaking. EPA plans to propose and take final action on its new stormwater rules by Nov. 2012.
In the near term, EPA requests public input on the following preliminary regulatory considerations: establishing specific requirements to control stormwater discharges from new development and redevelopment; expanding the area subject to federal stormwater regulations; developing a single set of consistent stormwater requirements for all municipal separate storm sewer systems; requiring those sewer systems to address stormwater discharges in areas of existing development through retrofitting the sewer system or drainage area with improved stormwater control measures; and exploring specific stormwater provisions to protect sensitive areas.
The listening sessions will be held:
- 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. at EPA Region 6 Office, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200 Dallas, TX 75202
- January 28, 2010, 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA HQ Office, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20004