06/09/2016 Nationwide Permit Reissuance
On June 1, 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published in the Federal Register its proposal to reissue the 50 existing nationwide permits (NWPs) and issue two new NWPs. Information on submitting comments for the proposed NWPs can be found in the public notice at the website listed above. The Los Angeles District is simultaneously proposing to include regional conditions that would apply to specific NWPs, regions and resources to ensure environmental impacts remain minimal within the Los Angeles District. Comments are due by August 1, 2016. Instructions for submitting comments on the proposed regional conditions are also included in the public notice
11/02/2015 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a report examining the implementation of the 2008 regulations governing compensatory mitigation offsetting losses of jurisdictional waters and wetlands authorized by Department of the Army permits. This retrospective focuses on the administrative aspects of executing the 2008 Mitigation Rule, and it examines five years of summary data on permitted impacts, compensatory mitigation requirements, and approvals of mitigation banks and in-lieu fee programs. For more information click here
10/29/2015 LAD Regulatory Division posts compensatory mitigation site map online.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Regulatory Division has been compiling the location of permittee‐responsible compensatory mitigation sites into a map which is now publicly available online. GIS shapefiles and metadown can also be downloaded. Regulatory Division plans to add more sites soon and continue to add new data into the future. To see the map 'Compensatory Mitigation Map' and other mitigation resources, visit the website at: http://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Mitigation.aspx.
10/15/2015 Check here for latest news regarding the Clean Water Rule
9/14/2015: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as part of an interagency effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service, announces the proposed annual update to the National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) for 2015 in the Federal Register. In addition to commenting on the proposed updates, the public will also be provided the opportunity to comment on the proposed process for future updates to the NWPL, which includes a proposed timeline for future updates on a biennial cycle.
Comments are requested to provided via the NWPL website (located under NWPL Publications/Documents, Wetland Ratings, Proposed FR NWPL 2015 Update section) by 13 November 2015. For more information click here.
8/18/2015: On January 30, 2015, the President issued Executive Order (EO) 13690: Establishing of a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input. The EO amends existing EO 11988: Floodplain Management originally issued in 1977, to include the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS). Once implemented, the FFRMS will assist in reducing the risk and cost of future flood disasters by ensuring that Federal investments in and affecting floodplains are constructed to better withstand the impacts of flooding. Frequently asked questions were received regarding the intended scope of the President’s FFRMS and the anticipated impacts to the USACE Regulatory Program. The Applicability of Floodplain Management and FFRMS Executive Orders to USACE Permitting Authorities was developed to provide clarification in this regard. For more information click on the link below.
Executive Order (EO) 13690
6/29/2015:Announcing the Clean Water Rule: Definition of Waters of the United States. The effective date for the Clean Water Rule will be 28 Aug 2015.
Federal Register Notice
6/22/2015: The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have announced the release of the Clean Water Act Rule. Additional information can be found by clicking the link below.
http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/RegulatoryProgramandPermits.aspx
6/22/2015: Posted on South Pacific Divisions page on 2/2/2015: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army (Army) are announcing the withdrawal of an interpretive rule addressing the exemption from permitting provided under section 404(f)(1)(A) of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The agencies want to make clear that the statutory exemption of 404(f)(1)(A) still remains available for use when applicable for discharges of dredged and/or fill material associated with normal farming, silviculture, and ranching activities that are part of an established operation and that do not have as their purpose bringing an area of waters of the U.S. into a use to which it was not previously subject, where the flow or circulation of the waters of the U.S. may be impaired or the reach of such waters be reduced (see 33 CFR 323.4 for more information).
Clean Water Act Interpretive Rule For 404(f)(1)(A)
6/22/2015: Posted on South Pacific Divisions page on 12/31/2014:The South Pacific Division has published a notice announcing FINAL Regional Compensatory Mitigation and Monitoring Guidelines to be followed in South Pacific Division’s subordinate districts (Albuquerque, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles districts) regarding procedures for compensatory mitigation as required for processing of Department of the Army (DA) permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, and Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act.
Public Notice Final Regional Compensatory Mitigation and Monitoring Guidelines