News Release
| Release Number: | 08-060 |
| Dated: | 4/24/2008 |
| Contact: | Scott Clemans, 503-808-4510 |
PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold meetings throughout Oregon to educate property owners, consultants, contractors, developers and other interested parties about the Corps’ new compensatory mitigation regulations.
The new regulations, which take effect June 9, clarify how to mitigate for unavoidable impacts to the nation’s wetlands and streams.
Corps regulatory specialists will also provide information about current policies for determining the extent of federal jurisdiction over wetlands and streams, which provide important environmental functions such as protecting and improving water quality and providing habitat for fish and wildlife.
A property owner planning a project that could affect certain wetlands or streams must apply to the Corps for a permit to conduct the work. The permit may require the property owner to restore, establish, enhance or preserve other aquatic resources in order to replace those impacted by the proposed project.
The new regulations change where and how to complete such mitigation, but maintain existing requirements about when mitigation is required, as well as the requirement to first try to avoid or minimize impacts before proposing mitigation.
The complete text and other information about the regulations are available on the Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Web site at http://www.usace.army.mil/cw/cecwo/reg/citizen.htm.
Portland District has scheduled the following education sessions about the new regulations:
April 29, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Washington County Walnut Street Center
1400 S.W. Walnut St.
Hillsboro, Ore.
May 27, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Linn County Fair and Expo Center
3700 Knox Butte Rd.
Albany, Ore.
May 28, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Washington County Walnut Street Center
1400 S.W. Walnut St.
Hillsboro, Ore.
June 12, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
La Grande Ranger Station, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
3502 U.S. Highway 30
La Grande, Ore.
June 25, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Oregon-Columbia Chapter, Associated General Contractors of America
9450 S.W. Commerce Circle
Wilsonville, Ore.
July 1, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Klamath County Courthouse
316 Main St.
Klamath Falls, Ore.
For more information about these sessions, or to schedule a session at your location, please contact Corrie Veenstra at (503) 808-4378 or corrie.veenstra@usace.army.mil.
For more information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Regulatory Program, please visit the Portland District’s Web site at http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/g.