Area Army Corps permitting offices to close; permits on hold

Published Oct. 15, 2013

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, has temporarily closed its regulatory offices and furloughing its 45 regulatory employees due to a lapse of Fiscal 2014 funds.  The review of any pending permit applications will be suspended until new funding becomes available. Regulatory offices closing include the District’s main branch in Baltimore, as well as field offices located in State College, Pa.; Carlisle, Pa.; Tioga, Pa.; and Easton, Md.  Regulatory staff will also refrain from attending any meetings, presentations or outreach opportunities due to the lack of available funds.

The Corps’ regulatory branch makes permit decisions for individuals and developers whose projects impact wetlands and waters of the United States. The authority to regulate activities in jurisdictional waters is found under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act.  Projects typically reviewed by the regulatory branch include road crossings, subdivisions, dredging, shoreline stabilization, wetland creation, oyster restoration, and aquaculture.  In 2013, the Baltimore District made more than 7,500 permit decisions and jurisdictional determinations throughout their area of responsibility, which includes central Pennsylvania (lead district), Maryland and the National Capital Region.

The mission of the Corp’s regulatory program is to protect the Nation’s aquatic resources, while allowing reasonable developments through fair, flexible, and balanced permit decisions.

The 1,200 employees of the Baltimore District serve the mid-Atlantic region and the nation as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Headquartered adjacent to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the Baltimore District provides design, engineering, construction, environmental and real estate expertise to a variety of important projects and customers. Through strong partnerships with state and local agencies, Baltimore District has developed projects to restore damaged island habitats and build multi-million dollar facilities for use by the Department of Defense.

With a surface area of 4,400 square miles and more than 7,000 miles of coastline, the Baltimore District remains an active partner in the development of Maryland and the North Atlantic region.
Contact
Chris Augsburger
410-962-2809

Release no. 13-034