EPA proposed revisions to the federal CWA water quality standards regulation to clarify and prescribe how water quality standards must protect aquatic and aquatic-dependent resources reserved to tribes through treaties, statutes, executive orders, or other sources of federal law, where applicable.

EPA clarified its NPDES Stormwater Phase II regulations due to recent changes made by the Census Bureau; changes are limited to clarifying that the designation criteria for small municipal separate storm sewer systems would remain the same.

EPA proposed to clarify its NPDES Stormwater Phase II regulations due to recent changes made by the Census Bureau; changes would be limited to clarifying that the designation criteria for small municipal separate storm sewer systems would remain the same.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced that it will open and publicly announce bids received for blocks offered in the Cook Inlet Planning Area Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sale 258 as required by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced the availability of the record of decision for the Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sale 258, identifying the alternative for Lease Sale 258 that excludes the 17 outer continental shelf blocks wholly or partially overlapping beluga whale and northern sea otter critical habitats.

United States v. Prairie State Solar, LLC, No. 3:22-cv-02660 (S.D. Ill. Nov. 14, 2022). A settling CWA defendant that allegedly violated its state stormwater permit during construction of a large-scale solar farm in Perry County, Illinois, must perform injunctive relief measures to ensure compliance until construction is complete and the stormwater permit is terminated, and pay a civil penalty of $225,000, with $157,500 to the United States and $67,500 to the state of Illinois.

United States v. Big River Solar, LLC, No. 3:22-cv-02659 (S.D. Ill. Nov. 14, 2022). A settling CWA defendant that allegedly violated its state stormwater permit during construction of a large-scale solar farm in White County, Illinois, must perform injunctive relief measures to ensure compliance until construction is complete and the stormwater permit is terminated, and pay a civil penalty of $175,000, with $122,500 to the United States and $52,500 to the state of Illinois.

EPA finalized protective and science-based federal human health criteria to protect Washington's waters, including waters where tribes hold treaty-reserved rights to fish.

United States v. Elyria, City of, No. 22-cv-02026 (N.D. Ohio Nov. 9, 2022). A settling CWA defendant that allegedly violated a prior consent judgment related to discharges of pollutants from the city's sewer system must pay a $100,000 civil penalty to the United States and $100,000 into Ohio's Surface Water Improvement Fund, and implement an Integrated Wet Weather Control Plan to be completed by December 31, 2044.