In December 1992, EPA promulgated water quality criteria for toxic pollutants in order to protect human health and aquatic life in fourteen states that had not adopted the necessary toxics criteria as required by the Clean Water Act. Some of the criteria are for protection of aquatic life from the effects of metals in the water. After EPA promulgated the rule, EPA issued a new policy for setting water quality criteria for metals. In order to allow permitting authorities in the states covered by the rule the flexibility to follow EPA's new policy, the Agency is staying the effectiveness of specific metals criteria promulgated in the rule. The stay will remain in effect until EPA promulgates new metals criteria for the states covered by the rule.