Governor James E. McGreevey has extended the expiration date of the NJPDES rules at N.J.A.C. 7:14A et. seq. from February 5, 2002 to February 5, 2004. This action will facilitate the development of the NJPDES municipal stormwater rules (see related article in this issue), which must be in place to comply with an EPA deadline. EPA's "Phase II" stormwater rules of December 8, 1999 require permit applications from stormwater sources to be filed by March 10, 2003. As a result, the DEP plans to propose and adopt rule amendments during 2002. Separating the municipal stormwater amendments from the overall NJPDES rules readoption will allow the DEP to satisfy the federal deadline and will also result in a smaller, more understandable rule proposal for both the public and the regulated community.