Proposed Revised Definition of WOTUS - Public Hearing

The public hearing was held on February 27 and 28, 2019.

On December 11, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of the Army (the agencies) signed a proposed rule revising the definition of “waters of the United States” to clarify the scope of waters federally regulated under the Clean Water Act. The agencies announced that a public hearing will be held in Kansas City, Kansas, with sessions on February 27 and February 28, 2019, to provide interested parties the opportunity to present data, views, or information concerning the proposed rule. 

The hearing was held in the Wyandotte Ballroom of the Reardon Convention Center, 520 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66101. EPA and the Army hosted two public hearing sessions - one on Wednesday, February 27, and one on Thursday, February 28.

• The Wednesday, February 27, session of the public hearing convened at 4:00 pm (local time) and concluded at 8:00 pm.
• The Thursday, February 28, session convened at 9:00 am and concluded at 1:30 pm.

The proposed rule published in the Federal Register on February 14, 2019. The comment period on the proposed action ended on April 15, 2019, and comments on the proposal can be found in the docket on regulations.gov. On January 23, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) signed the final Navigable Waters Protection Rule to define “Waters of the United States.” The final rule became effective on June 22, 2020. 

Agenda, List of Speakers, and Transcript for the Public Hearing in Kansas City, KS

The agencies have posted below a general agenda for the hearing  that lists pre-registered speakers in approximate order. A transcript of the public hearing is available in the docket. 

• Revised Definition of "Waters of the United States" Notice of Public Hearing (pdf)
• Proposed Rule Public Hearing Agenda and List of Speakers (pdf)