News Release
| Release Number: | 08-182 |
| Dated: | 12/3/2008 |
| Contact: | Scott Clemans, 503-808-4510 |
PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Oregon Department of State Lands are seeking comments on a proposed Department of the Army regional general permit and a proposed DSL general permit that would authorize gravel mining in the Chetco River in Curry County, Ore.
The proposed permits include specific mining locations and extraction methods that would be permitted, as well as special conditions and adaptive management techniques that might be required of the permittees.
The Corps and DSL are soliciting comments on this proposal by Dec. 26 from the public; federal, state and local agencies; Indian Tribes; and other interested parties. The public notice (NWP-2008-71) describing the proposal in detail is available at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/g/public.asp.
The proposal is being evaluated by a team of representatives from federal, state and local government agencies and the mining industry. The team solicited input from interest groups and the general public in a Feb. 8 public notice and an Apr. 9 public meeting in Brookings, Ore.
The team has also made background information, meeting notes, documents, news and other information about the development of the proposal available to the public at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/g/chetco_background.asp.
A regional general permit is an authorization to conduct a category of activities on a limited geographic scope, when those activities are similar in nature and cause only minimal individual and cumulative impacts on the environment.
Although termed a “regional general” permit, evaluation of the proposed action can be quite specific. Such permits generally include a number of terms and conditions to be met, and special conditions can be added to address unique situations within the permitted area.
The Corps’ and DSL’s permits would also comply with state water quality and coastal zone management policies, and include Endangered Species Act and Essential Fish Habitat consultations.
For more information about the Corps’ regulatory program and DSL’s wetlands-waterway removal/fill program, please visit http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/g/home.asp and http://oregonstatelands.us/dsl/permits/index.shtml.