TULSA DISTRICT

6 June 2016 - 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 2 new NWPs.

The Federal Register notice is the public’s opportunity to comment on the proposed NWPs, general conditions, and definitions. Comments on national issues relating to these NWPs should be submitted, identified as docket number COE-2015-0017, by any of the following methods: at www.regulations.gov, by email to NWP2017@usace.army.mil, or by mail to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CECW-CO-R, 441 G Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20314-1000. Instructions for submitting comments are provided in the June 1, 2016, Federal Register notice. Comments on the proposed NWPs are due by August 1, 2016.

Below is the current link we have on our web site regarding the 2017 NWP's.  

http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/RegulatoryProgramandPermits/NationwidePermits.aspx

23 October 2015 - On September 25, 2015, the Corps of Engineers approved the Terra Foundation ILF Stream & Wetland Mitigation Program for use within the State of Oklahoma.  The ILF will be available in the following HUC watersheds (Service Areas):  11090202 (Canadian B), 1109203 (Canadian C), 11100302 (Beaver/North Canadian D), 11100303 (Beaver North Canadian E), 11110101 (Lower Arkansas), and 11110102 (Lower Arkansas B).  For additional information, concerning the Terra Foundation ILF the following website is available: http://www.swt.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Mitigation.aspx.

9 October 2015 - The Sixth Circuit issued an order staying the new Clean Water Rule nationwide, pending a determination by the court on jurisdiction to review the rule. Thus, the Clean Water Rule is stayed, and the prior 1986 regulations are in effect nationwide. USACE and EPA are evaluating the order and its implications for the litigation that is currently pending in district courts. In the meantime, USACE is not implementing the Clean Water Rule, and is using the 1986 regulations and applicable guidance (those in effect prior to August 28, 2015) in making jurisdictional determinations or taking other actions based on the definition of "waters of the United States.  For the latest information visit: http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/RegulatoryProgramandPermits/juris_info.aspx

29 June 2015 - The Clean Water Rule has been published in Federal Register Notice as the final rule.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) have published a  final rule defining the scope of waters  protected under the Clean Water Act  (CWA or the Act), in light of the statute, science, Supreme Court decisions in U.S. v. Riverside Bayview Homes, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC), and Rapanos v. United States (Rapanos), and the agencies’ experience and technical expertise. This final rule reflects consideration of the extensive public comments received on the proposed rule. The rule will ensure protection for the nation’s public health and aquatic resources, and increase CWA program predictability and consistency by clarifying the scope of ‘‘waters of the United States’’ protected under the Act.This rule is effective on August 28, 2015. For the latest FRN go to http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-06-29 (starting on page 37054).

For a summary or supplemental information of the Clean Water Act you can also visit http://www2.epa.gov/cleanwaterrule.

27 May 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 Rule.

For the latest news go to: http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/RegulatoryProgramandPermits.aspx.

The mission of the Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program is to protect the nation's aquatic resources, while allowing reasonable development through fair, flexible, and balanced permit decisions. The Corps evaluates permit applications for essentially all construction activities that occur in the nation's waters, including wetlands. Corps permits are also necessary for any work, including construction and dredging, in the nation’s navigable waters.

The Corps balances the reasonably foreseeable benefits and detriments of proposed projects, and makes permit decisions that recognize the essential values of the nation's aquatic ecosystems to the general public, as well as the property rights of private citizens who want to use their land. During the permit process, the Corps considers the views of other federal, state and local agencies, interest groups, and the general public.

The results of this careful public interest review are fair and equitable decisions that allow reasonable use of private property, infrastructure development, and growth of the economy, while offsetting the authorized impacts to the waters of the U.S. Unavoidable adverse impacts to the aquatic environment are offset by mitigation requirements, which may include restoring, enhancing, creating, and preserving aquatic functions and values. The Corps strives to make its permit decisions in a timely manner.