NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING   PLEASE TAKE NOTE, that the Commission on Environmental Quality (“Commission”) is considering the amendment of the Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality Surface Water and Groundwater Use and Protection Regulations, which is codified at 11 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 7 Ch. 1. These regulations are proposed pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. §§ 49-2-9(1) (Rev. 2012), 51-3-9, 51-3-25, 51-3-31and the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Law, Miss. Code Ann. § 25-43-1 et seq. (Rev. 2010). The Commission now seeks public comment on the proposed regulations and announces a public hearing regarding the proposed revisions.   I. Substance of the Proposed Regulations.   The proposed amendment includes removal of the ten-dollar ($10.00) permit application fee and removal of the requirement to send permit reissuance notifications by certified mail in accordance with statutory changes mandated by Senate Bill 2415, which passed during the Regular Session of 2026 and was approved by the Governor.   II. Manner by which the public may comment.   Any interested party may submit comments regarding these proposed amendments to the regulations by submitting the comments in writing to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Attention Thomas Tynes, P.E., MDEQ, P.O. Box 2309, Jackson, MS 39225.   In order to be considered, written comments should be delivered to the Department of Environmental Quality by the end of business on August 4, 2026. Members of the public may also present verbal or written comments at the public hearing described below. A copy of the proposed amendments to the regulations may be reviewed on the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s website at www.mdeq.ms.gov or may be requested from Thomas Tynes, P.E., Chief, Permitting, Certification and Compliance Division, at the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, 700 N. State Street., Jackson, MS 39202, by telephone at 601-961-5578, or by e-mail at ttynes@mdeq.ms.gov.   III. Notice of Public Hearing.   A public hearing regarding the proposed amendments to the regulations will be conducted on August 4, 2026, at 2:00 P.M. in the Commission Hearing Room of the Department of Environmental Quality, 515 East Amite Street, Jackson, Mississippi. The public is invited to attend, to ask questions, and gain information regarding the proposed amendments to the regulations, and/or to present verbal or written comments on the proposed regulations. The current regulations are codified at 11 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 7, Ch. 1, and may be reviewed on the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s website at www.mdeq.ms.gov.   IV. Additional Information.   For additional information, please contact Thomas Tynes, P.E., Chief, Permitting, Certification and Compliance Division, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, telephone 601-961-5578, or by e-mail at ttynes@mdeq.ms.gov. 6/12, 6/19, 6/26/26 12400049