Regulatory Program News - On January 6, 2017, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) published the notice in the Federal Register announcing the reissuance of all 50 existing nationwide permits (NWPs), general conditions, and definitions with some modifications. The Corps also issued two new NWPs, one new general condition, and five new definitions. The 2017 NWPs will go into effect on March 19, 2017, and will expire on March 18, 2022. With the publication of this Federal Register notice, the Detroit District will begin finalizing regional conditions for the new and reissued NWPs. Click here to view the Federal Register notice.
Regulatory Program News - On October 31, 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a new Regulatory Guidance Letter (RGL) 16-01 regarding "Jurisdictional Determinations." The RGL explains the differences between approved and preliminary jurisdictional determinations (JDs) and provides guidance to the field and the regulated public on when it may be appropriate to issue an AJD as opposed to a PJD, or when it may be appropriate to not prepare any JD whatsoever. The Corps reaffirms its commitment to continue its practice of providing JDs when requested to do so, consistent with the guidance in the RGL. The RGL is available here and a set of Questions and Answers and other supporting information can be found here.