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News and Updates

Latest News

On December 18, 2024, the Honolulu District modified the 2021 Nationwide Permit Regional Conditions, to include Regional Condition #5, which requires notification for all Nationwide Permit activities within the Honolulu District Area of Responsibility. View the modified list of Regional Conditions here.

On October 10, 2024, the USACE issued a Special Public Notice, Pacific Ocean Division Regulatory Action Prioritization. View the details here.

WATCH: The USACE Regulatory Program - Importance to the Public (YouTube)

On May 15, 2024, the USACE updated the new Regulatory Request System. Access RRS here. View full Regulatory Announcement at USACE RRS Promo 90-sec

On September 8, 2023, the Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’; Conforming was published in the Federal Register. View the USACE Regulatory Program announcement 8 September 2023 – EPA and the Army Issue Final Rule to Amend 2023 Rule. Also reference EPA’s page Amendments to the 2023 Rule | US EPA for further information.

See the USACE Headquarters Regulatory Announcements page for overall news affecting the Regulatory Program

Regulatory Announcements

Photo by Jennifer Martin

Below are regulatory announcements, in chronological order, which are both current and historical. Current announcements provide information regarding ongoing regulatory processes and happenings. Historical announcements remain posted, as long as they remain up-to-date and applicable, to provide the public with a transparent record of changes and improvements to our program.

Recent Public Notices

3 Sep 2024
Hawaii Coral Ecological Services and Functions Assessment Tool (CAT) now available

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District Regulatory Office (Corps) announces the availability of the Coral Ecological Services and Functions Assessment Tool (CAT) for the state of Hawaii. The CAT is a modified version of the State of Hawaii’s Coral Assessment Tool and is available for public use when coral loss is unavoidable to aid in coral remediation efforts.

The goal of the CAT is to provide a numeric value of the ecological worth of individual corals that would be impacted by a proposed activity. The Corps can then use this value to assess the need for avoidance, minimization, and/or compensation to offset the loss of impacted corals.

This specific version of the CAT is only for activities in waters of the U.S. within the state of Hawaii. In the future, the Corps plans to release additional versions of the tool for use in other regions of the Honolulu District’s Area of Responsibility, such as Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.

The Corps will be beta testing the CAT for one year and will accept comments and feedback from the public at the end of that period. Comments may be submitted via email to CEPOH-RO@usace.army.mil.

Coral and Critters

31 Jan 2024
USACE launches new Regulatory Request System

USACE announces the launch of its new Regulatory Request System (RRS). RRS is designed to make the review of permit requests a transparent and efficient process for the public. RRS, currently in a beta version, provides general information on the Regulatory Program and allows the public to submit pre-application meeting requests and jurisdictional determination requests. Additional capability is scheduled in Spring 2024. This added capability will allow users the ability to electronically submit individual and general permit applications and other necessary information, saving time and reducing the need for paper-based submissions. RRS will streamline the permit application process and underscores USACE commitment to modernizing our application process, meeting user expectations, and providing a transparent, straightforward process for the timely review of permit requests. For additional information on or to provide feedback on RRS, please contact the rrs@usace.army.mil.

27 Nov 2023
Final 2023 CWA Section 401 Water Quality Certification Improvement Rule

The final 2023 Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification Improvement Rule (2023 Rule) went into effect on November 27, 2023. The final rule is grounded in the fundamental authority granted by Congress to states, territories, and Tribes to protect water resources that are essential to healthy people and thriving communities over the past 50 years.

28 Jul 2023
NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act - CEQ NEPA Implementing Procedures

On July 28, 2023, CEQ announced a Phase 2 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking—the “Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule”—to revise its regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), including to implement the amendments to NEPA by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

19 Jan 2023
USACE and the U.S. Coast Guard execute a new MOU on navigable waters of the United States

On 19 January 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Regulatory Program and the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard) executed a new Memorandum of Understanding on agency reviews of bridge and causeway projects over, in, or affecting navigable waters of the United States.

1 Dec 2022
Release of the Interim Draft of the National Ordinary High Water Mark Field Delineation Manual for Rivers and Streams

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and EPA (the Agencies) jointly announce the availability of the Interim Draft of the National Ordinary High Water Mark Field Delineation Manual for Rivers and Streams (National OHWM Manual) and its accompanying data sheet. The Interim Draft National OHWM Manual provides draft technical guidance for identifying and delineating the OHWM using a scientifically supported, rapid framework. The one-year testing and comment period ends on December 1, 2023. A final version of the National OHWM Manual is anticipated to be published during 2024.

20 Jul 2022
Pay.gov - Department of the Army Permit Fees

Applicants are now able to pay Department of the Army permit fees online at pay.gov instead of writing and mailing a check. This convenient option allows for multiple payment methods (bank account, Amazon account, PayPal, debit or credit card). The direct link for making Department of the Army permit fee payments on pay.gov is https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/996412796. Click here for a pay.gov payment walk-through which explains the process.