Clean Water Act Permitting: Overview and Policy Issues

Source-supplied fields

Report metadata

Identifier

R49486

Version

2

Product type

Reports

Status

Active

Published

Oct 14, 2026

Source updated

Oct 15, 2026, 7:54 am UTC

Authors: Laura Gatz

Politically.com intentionally does not reproduce the report summary or full text. Use the official Congress.gov links above to read the product in its source context.

Structured Congress.gov references

Related federal bills

• S 795A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exclude prior converted cropland from the definition of "navigable waters", and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 1938To require the Secretary of Defense to request modifications relating to certain permits issued under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 2030To ensure that certain permit approvals by the Environmental Protection Agency have the force and effect of law, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 1014A bill to ensure that certain permit approvals by the Environmental Protection Agency have the force and effect of law, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 2093To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to permitting terms, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 1254A bill to amend the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to clarify a provision relating to conveyances for aquifer recharge purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 1355A bill to prescribe judicial review requirements for certain projects, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 2783To expedite the environmental review process and approval of priority manufacturing projects, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3041To direct the executive agencies to ensure continuity of certain federal permits that are required to develop the nation's offshore energy resources.
  119th Congress
• HR 3300To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify that a permit is not required under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for a discharge resulting from the aerial application of certain products used for fire control and suppression, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 1672A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify that a permit is not required under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for a discharge resulting from the aerial application of certain products used for fire control and suppression, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3479To improve the licensing and security of submarine and cross-border terrestrial telecommunications cables, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3668To promote interagency coordination for reviewing certain authorizations under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3824To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify Congressional intent regarding the regulation of the use of pesticides in or near navigable waters, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3901To direct the Secretary of the Army to eliminate any backlog of applications for permits under section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act or requests for jurisdictional determinations under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3898To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to make targeted reforms with respect to waters of the United States and other matters, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3897To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to the scope of permits, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3928To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to make changes with respect to water quality certification, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3899To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to general permits under the national pollutant discharge elimination system, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3927To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to general permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3934To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to require States to hold public hearings to review water quality standards applicable to a body of water into which a municipal combined storm and sanitary sewer discharges, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3902To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to review the regulations applicable to the approval of State permit programs under section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3935To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to the period during which areas may be prohibited from being specified as disposal sites for dredged or fill material, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 3905To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to judicial review of the issuance of a permit for the discharge of dredged or fill material, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 4135To encourage States to participate with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council's online dashboard for certain covered projects.
  119th Congress
• S 2226A bill to exempt the Department of Defense from certain environmental protection activities.
  119th Congress
• HR 4705To place a moratorium on the issuance and renewal of certain Federal authorizations for mountaintop removal coal mining until a health study is conducted, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 2472A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to request modifications relating to certain permits issued under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 4879To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand eligibility for grants related to emergency water assistance, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 6090To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study with respect to stormwater runoff from oil and gas operations, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 3316A bill to establish the Waterway Permit Section 404 Assignment program, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 6693To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish expedited permitting procedures for post-natural disaster recovery activities, incorporating interagency coordination and best management practices to ensure timely rebuilding while protecting endangered species, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 7329To amend the Energy Act of 2020, the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Mineral Leasing Act to streamline the leasing and permitting processes of Federal agencies for certain energy and mineral projects, to clarify Federal authorization requirements for certain projects on non-Federal land, to establish enforceable Federal authorization timelines and expedited judicial remedies, to limit Federal actions halting fully permitted projects, to create a de-risking compensation program, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 7543To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate certain limitations with respect to pre-production plastic pellet pollution, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 7567To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2031, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 8037To limit the effect of litigation on the environmental application process for data centers and associated infrastructure.
  119th Congress
• S 4181A bill to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate certain limitations with respect to pre-production plastic pellet pollution, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 8308To establish requirements for the termination of authorizations, the completion and coordination of reviews for authorizations, and judicial review of actions relating to authorizations, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 4300A bill to promote interagency coordination for reviewing certain authorizations under the Natural Gas Act, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 4475A bill to improve Federal permitting, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 9017To provide that compliance with a certain biological opinion is deemed to be compliance with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 for purposes of a certain agency action, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 9171Making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 4755A bill to require the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to propose a new nationwide permit under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act for dredging projects, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 4795A bill to amend the Energy Act of 2020 to establish enforceable Federal authorization timelines and expedited judicial remedies, to limit Federal actions halting fully permitted projects, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 4944A bill to streamline permitting under the Natural Gas Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 4956A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify the scope of an exemption from permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 9838To provide for the expedited approval of interstate oil and natural gas pipelines that are critical to the national security of the United States.
  119th Congress
• HR 9855To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to make certain reforms with respect to permits and licenses under such Act, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 5262A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify the definition of navigable waters, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 5588A bill to require the Secretary of the Army to issue a general ecological restoration permit under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 5653A bill to prescribe permitting reform, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 331To amend the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to clarify a provision relating to conveyances for aquifer recharge purposes.
  119th Congress
• S 4784An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
  119th Congress
• HR 1311To prohibit the Corps of Engineers from issuing a permit for the Delta Conveyance Project.
  119th Congress