Trump Grants One-Year Clean Water Act Exemption for Air Force Jet Training in Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada

Overview

• President Trump signed the determination Monday, invoking Clean Water Act section 313 (33 U.S.C. 1323(a)) to exempt Air Force jet fighter training in Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada from federal, state, interstate, and local water pollution controls.
• The exemption runs for one year, from April 20, 2026 through April 20, 2027, and the Secretary of the Air Force is directed to publish the determination in the Federal Register.
• The order preserves separate requirements under 33 U.S.C. 1316 and 1317, which set new-source performance standards and limits for toxic pollutants.
• The White House says the action removes regulatory hurdles that it argues slow critical training needed for combat readiness and global deterrence.
• The memorandum notes related litigation in Oregon Natural Desert Ass'n v. Meink in the District of Oregon and states it does not concede that permits would be required for these operations without the presidential waiver.