[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Steve Owens Issues Statement on Today's U.S. Supreme Court Decision Upholding Arizona's Water Quality Permitting Program

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Steve Owens Issues Statement on Today's U.S. Supreme Court
Decision  Upholding Arizona's Water Quality Permitting Program

PHOENIX (June 25, 2007) - Today the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the
authority of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to
operate the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Permit Program on the state level.

ADEQ Director Steve Owens issued this statement:

"From the beginning we have operated our state program in accordance
with the Clean Water Act. Our state program provides adequate protection
for endangered species, and we have always been confident that our
program would be upheld in court. We are pleased with today's decision
and will now be able to move forward to administer our program to
preserve Arizona's precious water resources without being under a cloud
of litigation."  

Arizona has administered the Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (AZPDES) program since December 2002 under a delegation agreement
with EPA.  In early 2003 ADEQ's authority to administer the program was
challenged by Defenders of Wildlife in Federal Court. Today's ruling by
the U.S. Supreme Court upheld ADEQ's authority to administer the
program.

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News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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