SEATTLE—The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Washington State Department of Ecology are sponsoring free workshops this July and August covering recent changes in the Nationwide Permit program.
Nationwide permits are administered by the Corps and authorize minor activities in the nation’s waters, including wetlands. On March 19 all nationwide permits were reissued, some with changes. The Corps also issued two new nationwide permits for energy-type proposals, three new general conditions, and three new definitions.
Ecology is responsible for Section 401 Water Quality Certifications and Coastal Zone Management Consistency decisions relating to NWPs. The U.S. Environmental and 401-designated tribes are responsible for WQC on tribal lands.
The workshops will be held from 9 a.m. to noon and registration is not required. At the end of the presentations, there will be time for general and specific nationwide permit questions. Dates and locations are:
July 17 Ellensburg Hal Holmes Community Center, Teanaway Room, 209 N. Ruby St.
July 18 Spokane Dept. of Transportation, Whitman Room, 2714 N. Mayfair St.
July 19 Lacey Lacey Community Center, 6729 Pacific Avenue SE
July 23 Seattle Federal Center South, 4735 E. Marginal Way S.
July 25 Bellingham Dept. of Transportation, 3920 Airport Way
Aug 13 Kelso Cowlitz County General Administration Building, 3rd Floor
General Meeting Room, 207 4th Avenue N.
Under the prior Nationwide permits, issued in 2007, the Seattle District verified 4,837 permits; this is compared to 1,347 individual permits issued in that time period.
Additional information on the Nationwide Permit program including the User’s Guide for Nationwide Permits in Washington State, can be found on our website at http://www.nws.usace.army.mil by clicking on the green “Regulatory Branch Permitting Information” button on the right side and clicking on News and Updates. If you have questions, please contact Ms. Jacalen Printz at (206) 764-6901 or by email at jacalen.m.printz@usace.army.mil.