Nationwide Permitting Improvement Act

This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to change how general permits for dredged or fill material discharges are issued and maintained, aiming to streamline the permitting process. Sec. 2, Nationwide permitting improvement: This section amends Section 404(e) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. It extends the term of general permits from five to ten years. When determining environmental effects, the Secretary must only consider effects of the discharge itself, and any discharge into less than 3 acres of navigable waters is considered minimal. The Secretary must maintain nationwide general permits for linear infrastructure projects (like pipelines, power lines, or transportation routes) that discharge into less than 3 acres per project. For reissuing nationwide permits, no consultation with states or federal agencies under the Endangered Species Act is required, and the National Environmental Policy Act requirements are satisfied by an environmental assessment. The Secretary of the Army must revise regulations to streamline the permit process. The Secretary cannot finalize or implement any modification to certain existing rules from a 2021 final rule, including general condition 15 on single and complete projects and definitions of 'single and complete linear project' and 'single and complete project'.