protection provisions by removing mandatory permitting requirements and allowing large animal farms to self-certify the absence of pollutant discharge activity. (iii) Total maximum daily load (I) On March 19, 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency published a new rule regarding the total maximum daily load program under section 303(d) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1313(d) ), entitled Withdrawal of Revisions to the Water Quality Planning and Management Regulation and Revisions to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program in Support of Revisions to the Water Quality Planning and Management Regulation (68 Fed. Reg. 13608), that regulates the maximum amount of a particular pollutant that can be present in a body of water and still meet water quality standards. (II) The new rule described in subclause (I) withdrew the then-existing regulation issued on July 13, 2000, and entitled Revisions to the Water Quality Planning and Management Regulation and Revisions to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program in Support of Revisions to the Water Quality Planning and Management Regulation (65 Fed. Reg. 43586) and halted momentum in cleaning up polluted waterways throughout the United States. (III) By abandoning the then-existing rule, the Environmental Protection Agency is undermining the effectiveness of cleanup plans and is allowing States to avoid cleaning polluted waters entirely by dropping them from their cleanup lists. (IV) Waterways play a crucial role in the lives of the people of the United States and are critical to the livelihood of fish and wildlife. (V) The result of dropping the rule described in subclause (II) is that the restoration of polluted rivers, shorelines, and lakes will be delayed, harming more fish and wildlife and worsening the quality of drinking water. (iv) Waters of the United States (I) On December 2, 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Corps of Engineers jointly issued a guidance document, entitled Clean Water Act