ÿWPCå W( ê-!žHgåO=Qý„é xËÓ6”¯4¹¬Ëgµ îl¢gk¾Í„5q;ØXr9sŒm‰?s¶„ÛZo¡"¤ŒdQÊý°¾ö`§ëÃ4 %"³o-µ3êUª÷ètºê½Â‚¾Ý̪ŒK©b÷ô—O9êøW¢®·Ÿ±‰«¶ÝÐÌÓ½ñ*©‹Þ­Ør˜l´oÑBÙN˜%Íñ…–üIßd ’uLžHgüCª3/BÂ- q¿QS[¦§ˆ„Þ‘õÕ6*X³mßÞðAª.Ïþ•‰=Wã<ý3ÉDÓÎXxk7ŒþÉß|¥ŽswÛCÆÖiH(˜-ð¡ Ù #à±X8RƒtL#]+që¼²g–`å“fÔ]{¤¶¡ç‚ÃÒ¦ˆaŠ…v™ 7~;\”ãC᥾ý!è/ÞCÈ!„#K y º@$$¡käIÄ<8nñl¯½LÄ›zG€ÊçÀ`N{;­e÷«žs-ÞοÊ&X¨ÓhÉÊ–º'fÑ¡>3MÂà™èæ$ö:ÕÌžö;`˜*ÁºØ ${‡1•_íW;߆q¨xØ$Š#5¸k«›“hTÄdLJ}<”ìþ6JãQbü¦x(Aåmº’/Zw¸=§ #!¶UN× %% 0(+w@S4“§¶ m¸ÏN×^ Ù˜Jeff's printer,ä,,,,,ä0xÖÃ9 Z‹6Times New Roman RegularX($¡¡ ·¸E¹ºE»¼E½¾E¿ÀDÃi[&esktP>ƒ3|xÀÿU‹ÿÀÀÀ9µ4(áÝ ƒ!ÝÝ  ÝÔ_ÔTo€whom€it€may€concern:ÌÌà  àI€submit€these€comments€on€my€own€behalf.€€òòÐ ˆØ ÐÌRecommendationóóÐ `° Ðà  àI€believe€that€EPAððs€proposed€Ô_ÔTMDLÔ_Ô€Regulations€(the€ð ðÔ_ÔRegsÔ_Ôðð)€do€more€harm€than€good,Ïand€what€little€good€they€do€is€not€enforceable€and€has€no€timetable.€€Also€of€deep€concern€is€anÏoverlooked€but€pernicious€provision€in€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€that€aims€to€take€away€ñ¾ñthe€ñ¾ññ¿ñcitizensððñ¿ññ¾ñenviroñ¾ññÀñ€communityððsñÀñ€rights€to€see€to€itÏthat€anything€ever€gets€cleaned€up.€€To€summarize€ñ¼ñourñ¼ññ½ñmyñ½ñ€comments€below,€I€find€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€to€be€toÏimplementation€of€the€Clean€Water€Act€what€the€candy€ð ðPop€Rocksðð€is€to€nutrition:€Full€ofÏempty€calories€and€dangerous.€€Respectfully,€I€request€„„€under€section€555(b)€of€theÏAdministrative€Procedure€Act€„„€that€EPA€ñ·ñexñ·ññ¸ññ·ñcerciseñ·ññ¸ññ¹ñercise€its€discretñ¹ññºññ¹ñiñ¹ññºññ»ñiñ»ññ¹ñon€and€ñ¹ñreconsider€whether€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_ÔÏin€general,€and€the€petition€process€in€particular,€are€in€the€public€interest.€€€Thank€you.€Ìà  àÌòòComments€to€EPAððs€Proposed€Ô_ÔTMDLÔ_Ô€RegulationsóóÐ ˜è  Ðà  àRemember€the€candy€called€ð ðPop€Rocks?ðð€€They€were€an€artificially€colored€and€flavoredÏconfection.€€Pop€Rocks€were€sweet€and€fun,€but€utterly€devoid€of€any€nutritional€value.€€TheyÏalso€had€a€special€dangerous€surprise€inside€once€one€made€it€through€the€candyððs€hard€shell.€ÏThey€ð ðexploded.ðð€€In€your€mouth.€€Though€delighting€some,€Pop€Rocks€hurt€children€and€adultsÏalike€and€sullied€the€good€name€of€ð ðcandyðð€(and€probably€ð ðrocksðð€too€for€that€matter.)€€OverÏexplosive€protests€from€chipped„teeth€Pop€Rocks€defenders,€cooler€heads€prevailed.€€Pop€RocksÏwere€taken€off€the€market.Ìà  àEPAððs€Proposed€Ô_ÔTMDLÔ_Ô€Regulations€(ð ðÔ_ÔRegsÔ_Ôðð)€are€to€the€Clean€Water€Act€what€PopÏRocks€are€to€nutrition.€Like€Pop€Rocks,€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€are€artificial€in€that€they€ignore€CongressionalÏClean€Water€Act€mandates€when€convenient€while€at€the€same€time€reading€the€Act€as€if€eachÏword€exists€independent€of€the€English€language.€€The€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€are€devoid€of€nutritional€value€inÏthat€they€do€not€make€any€of€its€so„called€implementation€aspects€mandatory€or€enforceable,€andÏin€any€event,€impose€no€timetables€for€implementing€anything€anyway.€€They€do€not€requireÏÔ_ÔTMDLsÔ_Ô€for€waters€impaired€by€ð ðpollution,ðð€just€the€very€limited€universe€of€ð ðpollutants.ðð€€TheyÏdo€not€require€thermal€Ô_ÔTMDLsÔ_Ô€for€waters€impaired€by€Ô_ÔsilviculturalÔ_Ô,€agricultural,€or€constructionÏrunoff,€or€by€the€loss€of€riparian€habitat€canopy.€€They€donððt€require€states€to€use€all€credibleÏsources€of€data€and€information€to€identify€impaired€waters.€€They€do€nothing€to€address€very€realÏfrontal€attacks€to€the€Ô_ÔTMDLÔ_Ô€program,€such€as€unjustified€non€or€de„listing€of€impaired€watersÏ(consider€developments€in€Pennsylvania€and€elsewhere);€(2)€lack€of€sufficient€chemicalÏmonitoring€to€identify€impaired€waters€(Maryland€and€elsewhere);€(3)€use€of€unscientificÏð ðsamplingðð€protocols€that€exclude€listing€of€impaired€waters,€such€as€that€omitting€impairedÏwaters€unless€impairment€is€ð ðprovenðð€by€at€least€a€dozen€chemical€samples€that€can€only€be€takenÏby€a€state€(Virginiaððs€use€of€ð ðbinomial€distributionðð);€(4)€stateððs€wholesale€relaxation€of€useÏdesignations,€Ô_ÔantidegredationÔ_Ô€requirements€and€other€water€quality€standards€so€that€but€fewÏwaters€may€ever€wind€up€on€a€section€303(d)€list.€€(Pennsylvania,€Maryland,€New€York€and€WestÏVirginia€and€elsewhere).Ìà  àAnd€then€thereððs€the€dangerous€surprise.€€Strip€away€the€outer€sheen€of€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô,€the€EPAÏpress€releases,€and€the€collective€Ô_ÔFACAÔ_Ô€back„slapping,€and€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€explode€onÏenvironmentalists.€€The€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€allow€for€EPA€to€sit€on€a€stateððs€Ô_ÔTMDLÔ_Ô€submission€until€theÏagency€considers€it€to€be€ð ðcompleteðð€(read,€of€course,€until€EPA€can€approve€and€defend€itÐ @-(, Ðagainst€Ô_ÔenvirosÔ_Ô.)€€This€fact€alone€displays€what€little€EPA€wants€to€do€with€any€of€this€once€theÏÔ_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€are€promulgated,€if€at€all.€€Ìà  àBut€to€make€matters€far€worse,€and€more€dangerous,€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€require€citizens€toÏð ðpetitionðð€the€EPA€to€enforce€the€very€rules€that€many€of€you€support,€ò òbefore€EPA€need€doÐ tÄ Ðanything.ó ó€€By€design€this€sounds€innocuous€enough.€€But€defending€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ôðð€ð ðpetitionððÐ d´ Ðrequirement€is€the€single€most€self„defeating€thing€the€environmental€community€can€do.€€TheÏRegððs€ð ðpetitionðð€process€has€no€mandated€timetables,€no€prescribed€process€for€consideration€ofÏa€petition,€no€standard€of€review,€no€public€comment,€no€right€of€appeal,€no€nothing.€€ThroughÏthe€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô,€EPAððs€obvious€intent€is€to€foreclose€judicial€intervention€until€EPA€has€ð ðconsideredððÏthe€petition.€€Petitions€to€EPA€usually€languish€for€many€years€(consider€the€petition€to€withdrawÏVirginiaððs€Ô_ÔNPDESÔ_Ô€permitting€program).€€Ìà  àThe€petition€requirement€was€obviously€put€in€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€at€the€insistence€of€EPAððsÏlawyers€with€the€intent€of€ò òrestricting€the€legal€rights€of€citizens,€no€matter€what€EPA€does€orÐ È  Ðdoes€not€do.€€ó óSuppose€the€next€EPA€administration€turns€its€back€on€the€environmentalÐ ¸  Ðcommunity?€€Ignores€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô?€€Ignores€your€most€polluted€waters?€€Allows€the€Chesapeake,€theÏColumbia,€the€Rio€Grande,€the€New€York/New€Jersey€Sound,€the€Mississippi,€to€serve€as€mereÏconduits€of€pollution?€€Decides€not€to€implement€Ô_ÔTMDLsÔ_Ô?€€The€petition€process€is€EPAððsÏattorneys€attempt€short„circuit€enforcement€of€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô.€€No€matter€the€level€of€future€inaction€orÏintransigence€by€EPA,€or€for€that€matter€good€effort€gone€wrong,€before€a€citizen€can€getÏindependent€review€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô,€they€must€first€go€hat€in€hand€to€EPA€to€and€first€ask€it€to€ð ðexerciseÏits€discretionðð€just€to€act,€not€to€mention€òòhow€to€actóó.€€The€petition€requirement€is€the€single€worstÐ 0€ Ðthing€about€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€in€that€the€requirement€profoundly€limits€any€chances€for€implementation€ofÏÔ_ÔTMDLsÔ_Ô.€€€Ìà  àThe€petition€requirement€is€unprecedented.€€It€is€not€required€by€law.€€EPA€has€ò òneveró óÐ ôD Ðseen€fit€to€set€up€this€kind€of€obstacle€before.€€It€is€no€surprise€why€EPA€wants€it€in€the€Ô_ÔTMDLÔ_ÔÏÔ_ÔRegsÔ_Ô.€€It€is€tired€of€losing€in€court.€€The€petition€is€a€transparent€effort€to€limit€the€very€thing€thatÏhas€provided€the€impetus€for€progress€in€the€water€program€over€the€last€30€years:€Legal€action.€ÏMost,€but€not€all,€courts€have€rejected€EPAððs€Ô_ÔTMDLÔ_Ô€petition€requirement.€€€Why€does€EPAÏpersist€in€the€matter,€particular€when€it€admits€that€it€will€grant€few,€if€any,€petitions?Ìà  àThe€petition€requirement€is€rich€with€irony.€€For€years€EPA€has€argued€that€no€matterÏwhat€Congress,€the€Courts€or€the€Public€demand,€the€agency€will€do€nothing€about€Ô_ÔTMDLsÔ_ÔÏunless€and€until€a€state€completely€abdicates€authority€over€Ô_ÔTMDLsÔ_Ô.€€Yet€after€all€is€said€andÏdone€(or€not€done)€on€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô,€EPAððs€wants€citizen€Ô_ÔenvirosÔ_Ô€to€petition€first€to€ask€EPA€again€toÏact.€€If€after€all€of€this€it€still€takes€a€petition€to€get€EPA€even€to€consider€to€act,€then€it€all€seemsÏlike€a€huge€waste€of€time.€€€Ìà  àIn€sum,€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€do€more€damage€than€good.€€The€good€they€do€is€not€enforceable,€andÏhas€no€timetable.€€They€have€dangerous€provisions€that€take€away€citizenððs€rights.€€I€respectfullyÏrequest€that€EPA€reconsider€whether€the€Ô_ÔRegsÔ_Ô€in€general,€and€the€petition€process€in€particular,Ïare€in€the€public€interest.€€€Thank€you.ÌJames€R.€MayÌVisiting€Associate€Professor€of€LawÌGeorgetown€University€Law€CenterÌ600€New€Jersey€Ave.€NWÌWashington,€DC€Ì200001„2075