United States
               Environmental Protection Agency
                                         Office of Water 4303T
                    EPA-821-F-02-021
                    November 2002
               Fact  Sheet
                                Draft Strategy for
            National Clean Water Industrial Regulations

Summary
EPA is announcing a draft Strategy that describes a process EPA may use to identify industries for
which effluent guidelines need to be revised or developed, in compliance with Section 304(m) of the
Clean Water Act.
Background on Effluent Guidelines

Effluent guidelines are technology-based national
regulations that control the discharge of pollutants
to surface waters and to publicly owned treatment
works (POTWs). Effluent guidelines are specific to
an industry.  EPA develops effluent guidelines for
all  types  of industrial  discharges -  including
manufacturing, agricultural, and service industries.
As required by Section 304(m) of the Clean Water
Act (CWA), EPA publishes an Effluent Guidelines
Program  Plan  every  other year to announce the
Agency's plans to develop new effluent guidelines
and revise existing ones.

Since 1992,  the Plans responded to the terms of a
Consent Decree the Agency entered with Natural
Resources  Defense  Council,  Inc.,  and  Public
Citizen, Inc.  The end of the Consent Decree in
2004 offers  EPA  and interested stakeholders the
chance to evaluate the existing program and to
consider how national industrial regulations can best
support the national clean water program.

Summary of Draft Strategy

The draft "Strategy for National Clean Water Act
Regulations" outlines a process that EPA proposes
to use to develop Effluent  Guidelines  Plans.  The
process will allow EPA to identify existing effluent
guidelines the Agency should consider revising or
industrial categories for which the Agency should
consider developing new effluent guidelines.

Two overarching goals guided the development of
the draft  Strategy: reducing risk to human health
and  the  environment and  assuring  transparent
decision-making.  In order to accomplish the first
goal, EPA looked at the Clean Water Act and
identified  four major factors for deciding if it is
appropriate  to  revise  or develop  an  effluent
guideline. These are:

1)   the extent to which an industry is discharging
     pollutants that pose a risk to human health or
     the environment;

2)   whether an  applicable  and  demonstrated
     technology,  process  change,  or  pollution
     prevention  approach  would  substantially
     reduce that risk;

3)   the cost, performance, and affordability of the
     technologies, process changes, or pollution
     prevention approaches; and

4)   implementation and efficiency considerations,
     such as whether a current guideline is a barrier
     to the use of new  technologies with multi-
     media benefits, or whether revising an existing
     guideline to  allow  for in-plant "trading"  of

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     pollutant limits might reduce more pollution
     and cost less than the current rule.
EPA would also consider other appropriate factors
under the Clean Water Act in determining whether
or not to revise or develop a  guideline for an
industrial sector.

EPA's second goal is transparent decision-making.
A critical part of the proposed process is interaction
with stakeholders -  industry,  academia, States,
POTWs, environmental groups,  and  the public.
EPA hopes the Strategy will give those who are
interested an understanding of the process and the
chance  to  participate  in  decisions  about how
national  industrial  technology-based  regulations
(effluent guidelines) can best meet the needs of the
national clean water program.

EPA  also  hopes that stakeholders will identify
information that will help the Agency evaluate the
four factors listed above, as well as suggest other
factors and information the Agency should consider
in revising or establishing effluent guidelines.

EPA  will  get feedback  from  stakeholders  by
soliciting comments in ^FederalRegister notice, by
holding a public meeting,  and  by meeting with
organizations who represent the groups that  will
most likely be interested in the future of national
industrial clean water regulations.

EPA  is  looking  for  ways  that its Strategy for
National Industrial  Clean Water Regulations can
help   spur   the   development  of  innovative
technologies,  promote  multi-media  pollution
prevention, and  expand the use of market-based
incentives to improve the quality of our nation's
waters.
Washington,  D.C.  Or  you can send  e-mail to:
harrigan.patricia@epa.gov.   You  can view  or
download the draft Strategy on the Internet at:

http://epa.gov/guide/strategy/
Further Information

For additional information concerning this action,
you can contact Pat Harrigan at (202) 566-1666 at
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office
of Water,  Engineering  and  Analysis Division
(4303T),   1200  Pennsylvania  Avenue,   NW,

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