Seattle District - US Army Corps of Engineers


Army Corps of Engineers' public notices go digital

Contact: Patricia Graesser (206) 764-3760 Sept. 26, 2003 SEATTLE--Public notices for proposed projects requiring Army permits will be provided electronically beginning in November, according to the Seattle District, Army Corps of Engineers. The Seattle District regulates work in navigable waters and associated wetlands throughout Washington state. Beginning Nov. 1, the district's Regulatory Branch will replace paper copies of public notices with an electronic version that will be available on the Internet and via e-mail. Permit applicants, agents, adjacent property owners and individuals who don't have access to the Internet or e-mail will continue to receive paper copies through traditional mail. The district is answering customer requests by distributing notices electronically and posting them on the Internet. Public notices will be available to a far greater number than those currently on our mailing list, and electronic distribution will allow public notices to be accessible the same day they are published. This same-day delivery will allow anyone wishing to make comments on proposed projects a greater amount of time, since the delays inherent in traditional mailing will be eliminated. Electronic distribution will increase accessibility to Corps staff as well, with an electronic link to the project manager on each public notice. A public notice archive has also been created to store public notices for one year past their publication date. In addition to providing better access to notices, electronic distribution saves time and money, and complies with the Executive Order to reduce paper use in federal agencies. The cost of reproducing and mailing between 28,000 and 70,000 individual copies of public notices each year is quite substantial. If you want to receive public notices via e-mail, please send your e-mail address and identify to which mailing lists you want to be added to the following: Regulatory.NWS@usace.army.mil To see Public Notices without being e-mailed, watch the Regulatory web page at: http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/reg.html For those who wish to receive public notices by traditional mail, please submit your name, address and phone number to: US Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District, Regulatory Branch ATTN: Kristine Sanders PO Box 3755 Seattle, WA 98124-3755 Written comments will continue to be welcome. The Corps will also accept comments via e-mail. All comments on public notices should include your name, address and phone number and will need to originate from the author's e-mail account. Agencies and Tribes can submit comments on letterhead via electronic attachment, traditional mail or fax.