Certification is required for any license or permit that authorizes an activity that may result in a discharge.

The scope of a Clean Water Act section 401 certification is limited to assuring that a discharge from a Federally licensed or permitted activity will comply with water quality requirements.

(a) At least 30 days prior to submitting a certification request, the project proponent shall request a pre-filing meeting with the certifying authority.

(b) The certifying authority is not obligated to grant or respond to the pre-filing meeting request.

(c) If the certifying authority grants the pre-filing meeting request, the project proponent and the certifying authority are encouraged to discuss the nature of the proposed project and potential water quality effects. The project proponent is encouraged to provide a list of other required state, interstate, tribal, territorial, and federal authorizations and to describe the anticipated timeline for construction and operation.

(d) After receiving the pre-filing meeting request, the certifying authority is encouraged to contact the Federal agency and to identify points of contact to facilitate information sharing between the certifying authority and Federal agency throughout the certification process.

(a) A certification request shall be submitted to the certifying authority and to the Federal agency concurrently.

(b) A certification request for an individual license or permit shall:

(1) Identify the project proponent(s) and a point of contact;

(2) Identify the proposed project;

(3) Identify the applicable federal license or permit;

(4) Identify the location and nature of any potential discharge that may result from the proposed project and the location of receiving waters;

(5) Include a description of any methods and means proposed to monitor the discharge and the equipment or measures planned to treat, control, or manage the discharge;

(6) Include a list of all other federal, interstate, tribal, state, territorial, or local agency authorizations required for the proposed project, including all approvals or denials already received;

(7) Include documentation that a pre-filing meeting request was submitted to the certifying authority at least 30 days prior to submitting the certification request;

(8) Contain the following statement: `The project proponent hereby certifies that all information contained herein is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief'; and

(9) Contain the following statement: `The project proponent hereby requests that the certifying authority review and take action on this CWA 401 certification request within the applicable reasonable period of time.'

(c) A certification request for issuance of a general license or permit shall:

(1) Identify the project proponent(s) and a point of contact;

(2) Identify the proposed categories of activities to be authorized by the general license or permit for which certification is requested;

(3) Include the draft or proposed general license or permit;

(4) Estimate the number of discharges expected to be authorized by the proposed general license or permit each year;

(5) Include documentation that a pre-filing meeting request was submitted to the certifying authority at least 30 days prior to submitting the certification request;

(6) Contain the following statement: `The project proponent hereby certifies that all information contained herein is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge and belief '; and

(7) Contain the following statement: `The project proponent hereby requests that the certifying authority review and take action on this CWA 401 certification request within the applicable reasonable period of time.'

(a) The Federal agency shall establish the reasonable period of time either categorically or on a case-by-case basis. In either event, the reasonable period of time shall not exceed one year from receipt.

(b) Within 15 days of receiving notice of the certification request from the project proponent, the Federal agency shall provide, in writing, the following information to the certifying authority:

(1) The date of receipt;

(2) The applicable reasonable period of time to act on the certification request; and

(3) The date upon which waiver will occur if the certifying authority fails or refuses to act on the certification request.

(c) In establishing the reasonable period of time, the Federal agency shall consider:

(1) The complexity of the proposed project;

(2) The nature of any potential discharge; and

(3) The potential need for additional study or evaluation of water quality effects from the discharge.

(d) The Federal agency may extend the reasonable period of time at the request of a certifying authority or a project proponent, but in no case shall the reasonable period of time exceed one year from receipt.

(1) Any request by a certifying authority or project proponent to the Federal agency to extend the reasonable period of time shall be in writing.

(2) If the Federal agency agrees to extend the reasonable period of time, the Federal agency shall notify the certifying authority and project proponent in writing.

(e) The certifying authority is not authorized to request the project proponent to withdraw a certification request and is not authorized to take any action to extend the reasonable period of time other than specified in § 121.6(d).

(a) Any action by the certifying authority to grant, grant with conditions, or deny a certification request must be within the scope of certification, must be completed within the reasonable period of time, and must otherwise be in accordance with section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Alternatively, a certifying authority may expressly waive certification.

(b) If the certifying authority determines that a discharge from a proposed project will comply with water quality requirements, it may issue or waive certification. If the certifying authority cannot certify that the discharge from a proposed project will comply with water quality requirements, it may deny or waive certification.

(c) Any grant of certification shall be in writing and shall include a statement that the discharge from the proposed project will comply with water quality requirements.

(d) Any grant of certification with conditions shall be in writing and shall for each condition include, at a minimum:

(1) For certification conditions on an individual license or permit,

(i) A statement explaining why the condition is necessary to assure that the discharge from the proposed project will comply with water quality requirements; and

(ii) A citation to federal, state, or tribal law that authorizes the condition.

(2) For certification conditions on issuance of a general license or permit,

(i) A statement explaining why the condition is necessary to assure that any discharge authorized under the general license or permit will comply with water quality requirements; and

(ii) A citation to federal, state, or tribal law that authorizes the condition.

(e) Any denial of certification shall be in writing and shall include:

(1) For denial of certification for an individual license or permit,

(i) The specific water quality requirements with which the discharge will not comply;

(ii) A statement explaining why the discharge will not comply with the identified water quality requirements; and

(iii) If the denial is due to insufficient information, the denial must describe the specific water quality data or information, if any, that would be needed to assure that the discharge from the proposed project will comply with water quality requirements.

(2) For denial of certification for issuance of a general license or permit,

(i) The specific water quality requirements with which discharges that could be authorized by the general license or permit will not comply;

(ii) A statement explaining why discharges that could be authorized by the general license or permit will not comply with the identified water quality requirements; and

(iii) If the denial is due to insufficient information, the denial must describe the types of water quality data or information, if any, that would be needed to assure that the range of discharges from potential projects will comply with water quality requirements.

(f) If the certifying authority determines that no water quality requirements are applicable to the waters receiving the discharge from the proposed project, the certifying authority shall grant certification.

(a) A certification denial shall not preclude a project proponent from submitting a new certification request, in accordance with the substantive and procedural requirements of this part.

(b) Where a Federal agency determines that a certifying authority's denial satisfies the requirements of § 121.7(e), the Federal agency must provide written notice of such determination to the certifying authority and project proponent, and the license or permit shall not be granted.

(a) The certification requirement for a license or permit shall be waived upon:

(1) Written notification from the certifying authority to the project proponent and the Federal agency that the certifying authority expressly waives its authority to act on a certification request; or

(2) The certifying authority's failure or refusal to act on a certification request, including:

(i) Failure or refusal to act on a certification request within the reasonable period of time;

(ii) Failure or refusal to satisfy the requirements of § 121.7(c);

(iii) Failure or refusal to satisfy the requirements of § 121.7(e); or

(iv) Failure or refusal to comply with other procedural requirements of section 401.

(b) A condition for a license or permit shall be waived upon the certifying authority's failure or refusal to satisfy the requirements of § 121.7(d).

(c) If the certifying authority fails or refuses to act, as provided in this section, the Federal agency shall provide written notice to the Administrator, certifying authority, and project proponent that waiver of the certification requirement or condition has occurred. This notice must be in writing and include the notice that the Federal agency provided to the certifying authority pursuant to § 121.6(b).

(d) A written notice of waiver from the Federal agency shall satisfy the project proponent's requirement to obtain certification.

(e) Upon issuance of a written notice of waiver, the Federal agency may issue the license or permit.

(a) All certification conditions that satisfy the requirements of § 121.7(d) shall be incorporated into the license or permit.

(b) The license or permit must clearly identify any certification conditions.

(a) The certifying authority, prior to the initial operation of a certified project, shall be afforded the opportunity to inspect the facility or activity for the purpose of determining whether the discharge from the certified project will violate the certification.

(b) If the certifying authority, after an inspection pursuant to subsection (a), determines that the discharge from the certified project will violate the certification, the certifying authority shall notify the project proponent and the Federal agency in writing, and recommend remedial measures necessary to bring the certified project into compliance with the certification.

(c) The Federal agency shall be responsible for enforcing certification conditions that are incorporated into a federal license or permit.