Withdrawal of the Proposed Rule Tribal Baseline Water Quality Standards
On December 20, 2024, the EPA Administrator signed the withdrawal of the proposed rule entitled “Federal Baseline Water Quality Standards for Indian Reservations,” which published in the Federal Register on May 5, 2023. The EPA is not finalizing the proposed rule at this time. Instead, the EPA is currently focusing its resources on engaging with Tribes to support Tribes’ efforts to seek authority to administer their own water quality standards (WQS) program under the Clean Water Act’s provision for an eligible Tribe to be treated in a similar manner as a state (TAS). The EPA will continue to work closely with, and offer support to, Tribes that are interested in pursuing TAS to administer a WQS program and developing their own WQS under the Clean Water Act.
For tools to assist Tribes with obtaining TAS status and developing WQS see Water Quality Standards Tools for Tribes.