1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov October 18, 2016Recent EPA Actions to Protect Tribal Water QualityThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently taken several actions intended to strengthen water quality protection within Indian reservations. Three actions(1) issuance of an interpretive
2、 rule in May 2016, (2) promulgation of another rule in September, and (3) request for comment on another possible rule also in Septemberare described by EPA as part of a broad effort to narrow gaps in water quality protection in Indian country. While these initiatives are widely supported by tribal
3、interests, they raise concerns with some states, local governments, and industries. States have primary responsibility for protecting water quality within their borders except in Indian country where civil regulatory authority generally lies with the federal government and the relevant tribe, not wi
4、th the states. Recognizing Indian Tribes in a Similar Manner as a State Section 518(e) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. 1377(e) authorizes EPA to treat eligible federally recognized Indian tribes in a similar manner as a state (i.e., “treatment as a state,” or TAS) for the purposes of receivi
