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To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide exclusions from the term ``navigable waters'', and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to narrow the definition of "navigable waters" by adding specific exclusions. The exclusions would include waste treatment systems such as lagoons and ponds designed to handle wastewater, ephemeral features that flow only after rainfall, and groundwater. The bill also allows the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and Secretary of the Army to determine additional excluded features. These changes would reduce the scope of waters subject to federal water pollution regulations.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA)
6 cosponsors
- Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID] (R-ID)
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS)
- Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS] (R-KS)
- Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID)
- Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC)
- Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS] (R-MS)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Joni Ernst’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- NULL $57,653
- CAPITAL GROUP $40,000
- SOROBAN CAPITAL $13,200
- CAPITAL GROUP COMPANIES $7,500
- GOOGLE $6,800
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Joni Ernst → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Jul 23, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. · senate
- Jul 23, 2025 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 23, 2025
Ms. Ernst (for herself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Tillis, and Mr. Wicker) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
A BILL
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to provide exclusions from the term “navigable waters”, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Clarifying Legal Exclusions Around Regulated Waters Act” or the “CLEAR Waters Act”.
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF NAVIGABLE WATERS.
Section 502(7) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1362(7)) is amended—
(1) by striking “(7) The term” and inserting the following:
“(7) Navigable waters.—
“(A) In general.—The term”; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(B) Exclusions.—The term ‘navigable waters’ does not include any of the following:
“(i) Any component of a waste treatment system, including any lagoon or treatment pond (such as a settling or cooling pond), designed to actively or passively—
“(I) convey or retain wastewater; or
“(II) concentrate, settle, reduce, or remove pollutants from wastewater.
“(ii) Ephemeral features that flow only in direct response to precipitation.
“(iii) Groundwater.
“(iv) Any other features determined to be excluded by the Administrator and the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers.”. <all>
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