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, Corps districts will begin finalizing their regional conditions for the new and reissued NWPs. Regional conditions will provide additional protection for the aquatic environment, and will help ensure that the NWPs authorize only those activities with no more than minimal adverse environmental effects. Regional conditions will help ensure protection of high value waters within the San Francisco District.
The publication of this Federal Register notice also begins the 60-day period for states, Tribes, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete their water quality certification (WQC) processes for the NWPs. The 60-day period for WQC will end on March 6, 2017. This Federal Register notice also begins the 90-day period for coastal states to complete their Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) consistency determination processes. The 90-day period for CZMA consistency determinations will end on April 5, 2017.
If coastal states do not complete their CZMA consistency determination processes before the 2017 NWPs go into effect on March 19, 2017, the use of an NWP to authorize an activity within, or outside, a state’s coastal zone that will affect land or water uses or natural resources of that state’s coastal zone, is contingent upon obtaining an individual CZMA consistency determination, or a case-specific presumption of CZMA concurrence.
The January 6, 2017, Federal Register notice is available for viewing on the Internet at
http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/RegulatoryProgramandPermits/NationwidePermits.aspx . As an alternative, interested parties can access the January 6, 2017, final rule that was published in the Federal Register through the U.S. Government Printing Office at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=FR .
The Corps has also issued final decision documents for the new and reissued NWPs. These documents are available at www.regulations.gov at docket number COE-2015-0017. Furthermore, the national NWP decision documents will be supplemented by Division Engineers to address decisions concerning the addition of regional conditions to the NWPs.