Proposed Information Collection Request for Establishing No-Discharge Zones (NDZs) Under Clean Water Act Section 312 (Renewal)
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
The EPA is seeking public comments on the renewal of an Information Collection Request (ICR) for states that wish to establish No-Discharge Zones (NDZs) for vessel sewage and certain Armed Forces vessel discharges under Clean Water Act Section 312. States must submit specific information in petitions to EPA to create NDZs where both treated and untreated sewage from vessels is banned. The ICR also covers petitions for NDZs on Uniform National Discharge Standards (UNDS) discharges and requests to review existing UNDS determinations when new information becomes available. This is a voluntary collection triggered only when a state chooses to pursue an NDZ or review. The estimated annual burden is 408 hours and $28,910 across 8 total respondents (states), with a 169-hour decrease from the previous estimate due to fewer expected petitions. Comments are due by June 5, 2026.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Refer to official sources for legal decisions.
Key Changes
- Total estimated annual burden reduced by 169 hours to 408 hours due to lower expected number of state petitions
- Comments due on or before June 5, 2026
- Current ICR approval expires September 30, 2026
+ 3 more changes with Pro
Obligations
What this law requires
States must submit petitions to EPA that include specific information identified in 40 CFR part 140 when seeking to establish a No-Discharge Zone (NDZ) for vessel sewage
States must submit petitions to EPA that include specific information identified in 40 CFR part 1700 when seeking to establish an NDZ for one or more Uniform National Discharge Standards (UNDS) discharges from Armed Forces vessels
State governors may petition EPA and the Department of War to review any UNDS discharge determination or standard if significant new information exists that could reasonably result in a change to the discharge determination or standard
EPA must receive and respond to state petitions for vessel sewage NDZs under CWA section 312(f)
EPA must receive and respond to state petitions for UNDS NDZs under CWA section 312(n)(7)