In keeping with EPA Administrator Christie Whitman's review of the agency's impaired water program under the Clean Water Act and her intent to involve the active participation of a broad range of parties, EPA will hold five public listening sessions to help determine what changes may be needed to the regulatory program.
The sessions will be held Oct. 22-23 in Chicago; Nov. 1-2 in Sacramento; Nov. 7-8 in Atlanta; Nov. 15-16 in Oklahoma City; and Dec. 11 in Washington, D.C.
On July 16, EPA Administrator Whitman announced that she would conduct an 18-month review of and provide additional public comment opportunities on the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) program. The TMDL program is a key element under the Clean Water Act that provides a framework for identifying and cleaning up polluted waters. To date, the states have identified 20,000 polluted waterways for clean up.
Whitman asked for the review following a National Academy of Sciences report that made a number of recommendations on the implementation of the TMDL program. The final TMDL rule was published July 13, 2000.
Additional details are available in a notice published in the Federal Register on Oct. 9 and are posted on EPA's TMDL web site at www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/meetingsSource: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
