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Your source for working together to make water policies and projects environmentally and economically sound
Water Resources Development Act of 2018
 
On June 6, the House passed its version of the Water Resources Development Act of 2018.  The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the bill the week of July 9.  Thanks to the work of many WPN members, both the House and Senate bills are relatively free of language that would undermine the National Environmental Policy Act and other bedrock environmental laws.  Both bills also make some progress on advancing the use of natural infrastructure (healthy rivers, wetlands, coats, and floodplains) for Corps projects, and lay the groundwork for improving the Corps' benefit-cost analyses. 
 
Stay tuned for a summary of some of the key provisions in both bills.
 
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
HELP DEFEND THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT

On June 20, 2018, the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced the Trump administration’s plans to re-examine CEQ’s longstanding NEPA regulations. These regulations ensure that the public has the opportunity to participate in decisions that impact their lives, and ensure that government agencies take a hard look at the environmental, public health, and economic impacts of proposed federal actions before decisions are made on whether or how to proceed. 

NEPA is a particularly critical tool for improving Corps of Engineers projects and for stopping projects that are too destructive to proceed.  Changes to the regulations could be disastrous and could call into question decades of case-law that we all rely on.  Please consider filing comments in defense of NEPA.

The current deadline for comments is July 20, 2018.

Click here for the Federal Register Notice and directions for submitting comments>>
Click here for information on the Notice prepared by the Partnership Project>>
Click here for the Partnership Project's extensive website devoted to Protecting NEPA>> 

Investigation Reveals That The Corps is Not Requiring Mitigation
for Clean Water Act 404 Permits Issued in Alaska 

On May 29, 2018 Environment and Energy Daily reported that the Corps "is greenlighting development in thousands of acres of Alaskan wetlands without requiring companies to offset resource damage."  In her comprehensive article No offsets, no problem as Army Corps OKs wetland projects, reporter Ariel Wittenberg reported that mitigation requirements in the Alaska District have dropped significantly since 2015, even as mitigation required by other Corps Districts has increased. 

A comprehensive review of Corps permits revealed that the Corps' Alaska District had required mitigation in only 26 percent of permits issued since 2015, allowing 1,937 acres of wetlands to be destroyed while requiring only 872 acres of mitigation.  "By contrast, from 2012 to 2014, the Alaska District required mitigation for 73 percent of applications, requiring 2,825 acres of mitigation for the loss of 1,571 acres of wetlands."

On June 28, the Corps and EPA issued a new Memorandum of Understanding on mitigation in the Alaska District.  While the new memorandum does not change mitigation requirements, it does clarify when and where mitigation is required.

Click here to read the full story>>
Click here to read the new Memorandum of Agreement>>  
Corps Public Notices Published in the Past 60 Days

Intent To Prepare a Draft NEPA Document for the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, and Lock and Dam 1 Disposition Study, Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, Minnesota
Published June 29, 2018

Notice of Intent To Adopt U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's December 2015 Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Statement, Prepare Corps Record of Decision, and Reimburse the Sponsor for the Upper Truckee River and Marsh Restoration Project, City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, CA
Published June 29, 2018

Notice of Solicitation of Applications for Stakeholder Representative Members of the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee
Published June 4, 2018

Joint Notice of Availability for the Draft Matagorda Ship Channel Project Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement
Published May 4, 2018

 
Online Resources for WPN Members
Have you seen the WPN website recently?
Comments:
We have a *new* tab – Comments – that contains comment letters submitted by WPNetwork members. Topics range from veto requests, to the USACE Environmental Advisory Board, omnibus appropriations, WRDA, to USACE nationwide permits. Have you submitted a comment that you would like to share with fellow members? Let us know at sametm@nwf.org.

Resources:
Don't forget to check out our Resources tab where you can find sample FOIA requests and EIS comments (including scoping comments and comments on draft and final EISs), Corps regulations, Guidance and Information, reports, the Citizens Guide to the Corps, and WPNetwork Webinars. Click here to view past webinars sponsored by the WPNetwork>>
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