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1 1 (August 21, 2008)

handle is hein.crs/crsaaju0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code 97-488 Updated August 21, 2008 Clean Water Act Section 401: Background and Issues Claudia Copeland Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary Section 401 of the Clean Water Act requires that an applicant for a federal license or permit provide a certification that any discharges from the facility will comply with the act, including water quality standard requirements. Disputes have arisen over the states' exercise of this authority in protecting water quality. For the most part, the debate over the Section 401 certification issue has been between states and hydropower interests. A 1994 Supreme Court decision which upheld the states' authority in this area dismayed development and hydropower interest groups. The Court revisited these issues in a 2006 ruling that unanimously upheld the authority of states to condition hydropower licenses by exercising Section 401. The dispute between states and industry groups about Section 401 authority has been a legislative issue on several occasions, but Congress has not modified the provision's scope. In addition, there has been interest in clarifying whether Section 401 certification applies to nonpoint source discharges, such as rainfall runoff, as well as point source discharges from pipes or ditches. This question was raised in a lawsuit in Oregon, where a federal court ruled that Section 401 does not apply to nonpoint source discharges. Still, some interests continue to favor a broad reading of 401 that would apply to both nonpoint and point sources of pollutant discharges. Background Under the Clean Water Act (CWA), an applicant for a federal license or permit to conduct any activity that may result in a discharge to waters of the United States must provide the federal agency with a Section 401 certification. The certification, made by the state in which the discharge originates, declares that the discharge will comply with applicable provisions of the act, including water quality standards. A state's water quality standards specify the designated use of a stream or lake (e.g., for water supply or recreation), pollutant limits necessary to protect the designated use, and policies to ensure that existing water uses will not be degraded by pollutant discharges.

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