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<REGINFO_RIN_DATA xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" RUN_DATE="2026-04-21-04:00" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/xml/REGINFO_XML_Ver10262011.xsd">
    <RIN_INFO>
        <RIN>2040-AG12</RIN>
        <PUBLICATION>
            <PUBLICATION_ID>202210</PUBLICATION_ID>
            <PUBLICATION_TITLE>The Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions</PUBLICATION_TITLE>
        </PUBLICATION>
        <AGENCY>
            <CODE>2040</CODE>
            <NAME>Office of Water</NAME>
            <ACRONYM>OW</ACRONYM>
        </AGENCY>
        <PARENT_AGENCY>
            <CODE>2000</CODE>
            <NAME>Environmental Protection Agency</NAME>
            <ACRONYM>EPA</ACRONYM>
        </PARENT_AGENCY>
        <RULE_TITLE>Clean Water Act Section 401: Water Quality Certification</RULE_TITLE>
        <ABSTRACT><![CDATA[Clean Water Act (CWA) section 401 provides States and Tribes with a powerful tool to protect the quality of their waters from adverse impacts resulting from federally licensed or permitted projects. Under section 401, a federal agency may not issue a license or permit to conduct any activity that may result in any discharge into navigable waters, unless the State or Tribe where the discharge would originate either issues a section 401 water quality certification finding “that any such discharge will comply with the applicable provisions of sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307” of the CWA, or certification is waived. EPA promulgated implementing regulations for water quality certification prior to the passage of the CWA in 1972, which created section 401. In June 2022, consistent with Executive Order 13990, EPA proposed “Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification Improvement Rule” to revise the 2020 Rule. The proposed rule would update the existing regulations to be more consistent with the statutory text of the 1972 CWA; to clarify, reinforce, and provide a measure of consistency with respect to elements of section 401 certification practice that have evolved over the 50 years since the 1971 Rule was promulgated; and to support an efficient and predictable certification process that is consistent with the water quality protection and cooperative federalism principles central to CWA section 401. EPA plans to finalize a revised rule after reviewing public comments on the proposed rule (published on June 9, 2022).]]></ABSTRACT>
        <PRIORITY_CATEGORY>Other Significant</PRIORITY_CATEGORY>
        <RIN_STATUS>Previously Published in The Unified Agenda</RIN_STATUS>
        <RULE_STAGE>Final Rule Stage</RULE_STAGE>
        <MAJOR>Undetermined</MAJOR>
        <UNFUNDED_MANDATE_LIST>
            <UNFUNDED_MANDATE>Undetermined</UNFUNDED_MANDATE>
        </UNFUNDED_MANDATE_LIST>
        <CFR_LIST>
            <CFR>40 CFR 121.1</CFR>
        </CFR_LIST>
        <LEGAL_AUTHORITY_LIST>
            <LEGAL_AUTHORITY>33 U.S.C. 1151</LEGAL_AUTHORITY>
        </LEGAL_AUTHORITY_LIST>
        <LEGAL_DLINE_LIST/>
        <RPLAN_ENTRY>Yes</RPLAN_ENTRY>
        <RPLAN_INFO>
            <STMT_OF_NEED><![CDATA[To be determined.]]></STMT_OF_NEED>
            <LEGAL_BASIS><![CDATA[To be determined.]]></LEGAL_BASIS>
            <ALTERNATIVES><![CDATA[To be determined.]]></ALTERNATIVES>
            <COSTS_AND_BENEFITS><![CDATA[To be determined.]]></COSTS_AND_BENEFITS>
            <RISKS><![CDATA[To be determined.]]></RISKS>
        </RPLAN_INFO>
        <TIMETABLE_LIST>
            <TIMETABLE>
                <TTBL_ACTION>Notice</TTBL_ACTION>
                <TTBL_DATE>06/02/2021</TTBL_DATE>
                <FR_CITATION>86 FR 29541</FR_CITATION>
            </TIMETABLE>
            <TIMETABLE>
                <TTBL_ACTION>NPRM</TTBL_ACTION>
                <TTBL_DATE>06/09/2022</TTBL_DATE>
                <FR_CITATION>87 FR 35318</FR_CITATION>
            </TIMETABLE>
            <TIMETABLE>
                <TTBL_ACTION>Final Rule</TTBL_ACTION>
                <TTBL_DATE>06/00/2023</TTBL_DATE>
            </TIMETABLE>
        </TIMETABLE_LIST>
        <ADDITIONAL_INFO>.</ADDITIONAL_INFO>
        <RFA_REQUIRED>No</RFA_REQUIRED>
        <GOVT_LEVEL_LIST>
            <GOVT_LEVEL>Federal</GOVT_LEVEL>
            <GOVT_LEVEL>State</GOVT_LEVEL>
            <GOVT_LEVEL>Tribal</GOVT_LEVEL>
        </GOVT_LEVEL_LIST>
        <FEDERALISM>Undetermined</FEDERALISM>
        <ENERGY_AFFECTED>Undetermined</ENERGY_AFFECTED>
        <PRINT_PAPER>No</PRINT_PAPER>
        <INTERNATIONAL_INTEREST>No</INTERNATIONAL_INTEREST>
        <RELATED_RIN_LIST>
            <RELATED_RIN>
                <RIN>2040-AF86</RIN>
                <RIN_RELATION>Related to</RIN_RELATION>
            </RELATED_RIN>
        </RELATED_RIN_LIST>
        <AGENCY_CONTACT_LIST>
            <CONTACT>
                <FIRST_NAME>Lauren</FIRST_NAME>
                <LAST_NAME>Kasparek</LAST_NAME>
                <AGENCY>
                    <CODE>2040</CODE>
                    <NAME>Office of Water</NAME>
                    <ACRONYM>OW</ACRONYM>
                </AGENCY>
                <PHONE>202 564-3351</PHONE>
                <EMAIL>kasparek.lauren@epa.gov</EMAIL>
                <MAILING_ADDRESS>
                    <STREET_ADDRESS>1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,</STREET_ADDRESS>
                    <CITY>Washington</CITY>
                    <STATE>DC</STATE>
                    <ZIP>20460</ZIP>
                </MAILING_ADDRESS>
            </CONTACT>
        </AGENCY_CONTACT_LIST>
    </RIN_INFO>
</REGINFO_RIN_DATA>
