The next Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) environmental roundtable will be held virtually on January 29, 2026, at 2 PM EST on the Microsoft Teams platform. The discussion will focus on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed revisions to the Clean Water Act’s (CWA) water quality certification process.
CWA section 401 grants authority to states (and some tribes) to review any discharge into a water of the United States (WOTUS) within their borders that may result from a proposed activity requiring a federal license or permit. A federal agency may not issue a license or permit to conduct any activity that may result in any discharge into a WOTUS, unless the affected State issues or waives section 401 certification.
The small entities subject to the requirements of this proposal are small businesses applying for federal licenses or permits subject to section 401 certification, which includes construction, manufacturing, mining, and utility businesses. Advocacy would like to hear from small entities about the impacts of existing CWA section 401 regulations. Additionally, Advocacy would also like input from small entities on EPA’s proposed revisions to the CWA section 401 certification process.
Date: January 29, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET
Meeting Platform: Microsoft Teams
SBA Advocacy is an independent voice within the executive branch responsible for advancing the views of small businesses in regulatory policy across the federal government. We conduct roundtables to hear the experiences, challenges, and recommendations of small businesses, and identify alternative approaches for policy development at federal regulatory agencies. Our roundtables are largely held online to facilitate the attendance of stakeholders from a diverse range of backgrounds, industries, and geographic regions.
Roundtable meetings are open to all interested persons and are intended to facilitate an open and frank discussion about issues of interest to small businesses. These meetings are off the record and not intended for press purposes. Direct quotations of presenters or attendees may not be used without direct written approval of the person(s) making the statement. All press inquiries should be sent to chandler.baxter@sba.gov. Agendas and presentations are available to all. If you need accommodations for a disability to participate in the roundtable, please contact Nick Goldstein for assistance.
Should you have any questions or require further information, please contact Assistant Chief Counsel Nick Goldstein at nick.goldstein@sba.gov.
Visit https://advocacy.sba.gov/category/regulation/regulatory-alerts/ to comment on important proposed regulations.