MRC Comments: CWA 304(a) Ambient Water Quality Criteria

This document constitutes the comments of Mississippi River Collaborative and Environmental Law & Policy Center of the Midwest regarding the Frequently Asked Questions: Implementing the 2021 Recommended Clean Water Act 304(a) Ambient Water Quality Criteria to Address Nutrient Pollution in Lakes and Reservoirs (January 2023) The Mississippi River Collaborative is a partnership of environmental organizations […]

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MRC Comments to EPA re: WOTUS

Date:    February 4, 2022 To:         U.S. Environmental Protection Agency From:    Mississippi River Collaborative RE:        Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2021-0602 – Revised Definition of Waters of the United States Members of the Mississippi River Collaborative (MRC) urge U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to: The Mississippi River Collaborative […]

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MRC Group Sues US EPA to Protect Missouri Lakes

Today, Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not protecting Missouri lakes for recreation and drinking water use, and therefore not protecting human health. “Without scientific support for how it would protect public health, Governor Parson’s DNR removed drinking water protections from its proposed  lake nutrient criteria,” said Heather […]

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IEC Files Petition to Protect Iowa Lakes

On November 1, Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) and Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) filed a petition asking Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to establish and enforce numeric criteria for significant Iowa lakes. The petition was filed with Iowa’s Environmental Protection Commission (EPC), the agency that will then make a recommendation to DNR to […]

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Numeric Nutrient Criteria for Freshwaters

EPA approves two methods to determine whether a waterbody is impaired:  narrative and numeric. Narrative criteria are subjective. Numeric criteria are not. Narrative criteria are difficult to enforce. Numeric criteria – much less so. This fact is known by the EPA, but the agency – to date – has not assumed the responsibility to establish […]

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“Decades of Delay” Report Urges EPA to Protect Mississippi River

Mississippi River – The Mississippi River Collaborative (MRC) today released a report that implores the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take specific actions to regulate excess nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in state waters along the Mississippi River because those 10 states haven’t achieved any significant pollution reductions on their own. MRC, a partnership of […]

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MRC Groups Fight Georgia-Pacific Permit

In Crossett, Arkansas, Mississippi River Collaborative groups, among others, have been fighting EPA for its approval of a permit for a Georgia-Pacific paper plant that they believe is polluting waterways. The permit for that plant, which is privately owned by the Koch brothers, is due to be reissued soon, and the EPA and Arkansas Department of […]

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Court Rules EPA Accountable under APA

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision on April 7, 2015 in Gulf Restoration Network et al. v. McCarthy. At issue is EPA’s refusal to make a determination as to whether or not limits on nitrogen and phosphorus pollution are necessary under the Clean Water Act and, if limits are necessary, to set […]

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City of Hattiesburg Must Clean Up Wastewater

Hattiesburg, MS– On September 29, 2014, Judge Keith Starrett of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi signed a consent judgment between Mississippi River Collaborative organizations (Gulf Restoration Network, represented by the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic), the City of Hattiesburg and the Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality to settle GRN’s suit against […]

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