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EPA/OW | RIN: 2040-AF96 | Publication ID: Spring 2024 |
Title: Water System Restructuring Assessment Rule | |
Abstract:
This rulemaking is mandated under the America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA), which became law on October 23, 2018. The AWIA requires EPA to promulgate implementing regulations for section 2010(a), which authorizes EPA and state primary enforcement authorities (primacy agencies) to mandate an assessment of restructuring options for a public water system (PWS) that repeatedly violates health-based standards, is unwilling or unable to take feasible corrective actions to return to compliance, or that has unsuccessfully attempted feasible and affordable actions to return to compliance, and for which restructuring is both feasible and could result in greater compliance. The mandatory assessment requirements must be tailored to the water system's size, type, and other factors, and the assessment should not be overly burdensome on the assessed system. A PWS that completes a mandatory assessment is eligible for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) funding to implement the restructuring activities identified in the assessment. The rulemaking will include provisions regarding enforcement relief for a noncompliant PWS that implements a state-approved restructuring plan and liability protection for a 'non-responsible' PWS that, based on a completed, primacy-agency-approved restructuring assessment and restructuring plan, consolidates with, or acquires ownership of, an assessed PWS. The AWIA, Section 2009(a), also revises the scope of a consolidation plan under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), subsection 1414(h)(1), to include a contract for significant managerial or administrative functions of a PWS. In 2019 and 2020, the EPA conducted public webinars and held informational meetings with national associations to inform the development of the proposal. In accordance with the EPA Policy on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes, from October 4 through November 15, 2019, the EPA consulted with Tribal officials in the development of this action, including two national webinars for all federally recognized Indian Tribes. In 2022, the EPA held additional informational meetings with community-based organizations to inform the proposed rule. |
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Agency: Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) | Priority: Substantive, Nonsignificant |
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda | Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Proposed Rule Stage |
Major: No | Unfunded Mandates: No |
CFR Citation: 40 CFR 118 | |
Legal Authority: 42 U.S.C. 300g-3(h)(6), 42 U.S.C. 300(g)-2(a)(6), and 42 USC 300j-9(a)(1) |
Legal Deadline:
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Timetable:
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Additional Information: . | |
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: Undetermined | Government Levels Affected: Federal, Local, State, Tribal |
Federalism: No | |
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No | |
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No | |
Agency Contact: Will Bowman Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water Mail Code 4606M, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460 Phone:202 564-3782 Email: bowman.will@epa.gov |