Following President Trump’s directive to provide certainty to American farmers and landowners so that the economy can continue to expand while waters are protected, US EPA and the Department of the Army (Army) are moving to the next steps in proposing a new definition of the Waters of the United States. US EPA and the Army will hold a public hearing on the proposed new definition in Kansas City, Kansas, with sessions on February 27 and 28. All persons wanting to speak are encouraged to register in advance. US EPA and the Army will also hold an informational webcast on February 14.
Public Hearing Logistics: The Wednesday session of the public hearing will convene at 4:00 p.m. (local time) and will conclude no later than 8:00 p.m. The Thursday session will convene at 9:00 a.m. and will conclude no later than 12:00 p.m. The public hearing will be held in the Wyandotte Ballroom of the Reardon Convention Center, 520 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas, 66101. Those interested in speaking at the hearing can register for a three-minute speaking slot. The last day to pre-register to speak at the hearing is February 21.
On February 26, the agencies will post a general agenda for the hearing on the US EPA website. It will list pre-registered speakers in approximate order. Registration for the public hearing is available through the US EPA website. Additionally, requests to speak will be taken the day of the hearing at the hearing registration desk (pending availability) and a sign language interpreter will be available for the hearing.
Webinar Logistics:US EPA and the Army will also hold a public webcast to explain the key elements of the proposed Revised Definition of Waters of the United States on February 14, at 3:30 p.m. EST. A copy of the entire webcast will be made available afterwards. Webinar registration is limited to 2,000 attendees, so interested parties are encouraged to view with colleagues. Registration is available at this website.