Saturday, December 4, 2010

Texas TCEQ Ordered To Issue Backlogged NPDES Permits

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has requested the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) take the necessary steps to reissue Clean Water Act discharge permits to sewage treatment plants and industrial facilities in Texas.

TCEQ has a significant number of draft Clean Water Act discharge permits that not been issued pending resolution of various concerns raised by EPA. Of the 80 discharge permits of concern, a large number of these draft permits have been delayed due to issues regarding the toxicity of the discharges. In some cases, EPA has expressed concern that expired permits continue to authorize toxic discharges.

To ensure that TCEQ’s and EPA’s legal requirements and program commitments continue to be met, EPA has requested that TCEQ issue the overdue discharge permits within six months.


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