# 2024-31219: EPA Ditches Tribal Water Rules, Opts for Self-Governance Instead

2024-31219, Federal Baseline Water Quality Standards for Indian Reservations; Withdrawal of Proposed Rule, is a Federal Register proposed rule from an unnamed agency published 2025-01-10, effective 2025-01-10 (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2024-31219
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2024-31219
- Title: Federal Baseline Water Quality Standards for Indian Reservations; Withdrawal of Proposed Rule
- Type: Proposed Rule
- Agencies: unknown
- Citation: unknown
- Published: 2025-01-10
- Effective: 2025-01-10
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

EPA Ditches Tribal Water Rules, Opts for Self-Governance Instead

## Summary

The EPA is hitting pause and withdrawing its 2023 plan to set federal water quality rules for Indian reservations. Instead, they’re focusing on helping Tribes take charge of their own water rules under the Clean Water Act. This means no new federal rules now, but more support and teamwork with Tribes to protect their waters on their own terms.

## Abstract

The Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA or agency) is withdrawing the proposed rule entitled "Federal Baseline Water Quality Standards for Indian Reservations," which published in the Federal Register on May 5, 2023. The EPA is electing to withdraw and not finalize the proposed rule at this time. Instead, the EPA intends to focus the agency's resources on engaging with Tribes to support Tribes' efforts to seek authority to administer their own water quality standards (WQS) program under the Clean Water Act's provision for eligible Tribes to be treated in a similar manner as states (TAS). The EPA will continue to work closely with, and offer support to, Tribes that are interested in pursuing TAS to administer a WQS program and developing their own WQS under the Clean Water Act.

## Effects PRIA read

- Withdrawal of Federal Baseline WQS: mixed, medium. On January 10, 2025, the EPA withdrew the May 5, 2023 proposed rule to establish federal baseline water quality standards (WQS) for Indian reservation waters. That proposed federal rule will not be finalized at this time.
- EPA Will Support Tribes Seeking TAS: benefit, medium. The EPA will redirect resources to help Tribes seek authority to administer their own water quality standards (TAS — treated in a similar manner as states) under the Clean Water Act and to develop EPA-approved Tribal WQS. The EPA notes that, to date, 52 of the 84 Tribes with TAS have submitted Trib…

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## Sources
- [2024-31219 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/10/2024-31219/federal-baseline-water-quality-standards-for-indian-reservations-withdrawal-of-proposed-rule)
- [2024-31219 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-10/pdf/2024-31219.pdf)

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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2024-31219 (as of 2026-06-11).