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USACE launches new Regulatory Request System

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program has launched its beta version of the national Regulatory Request System, or RRS. During the initial phases of the RRS rollout, our regulatory process in the St. Paul District remains unchanged. We will be collaborating closely with our state permitting agencies and will continue to keep the public informed of any changes in permit application procedures that may arise during the RRS rollout.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin, the public can test the Regulatory Request System (RRS) by requesting pre-application meetings and permit-related jurisdictional determinations. Please do not use the RRS to apply for a permit in Minnesota or Wisconsin. The St. Paul District employs a joint permit application process with those states. We will continue to process all requests received through our statewide electronic mailboxes or obtained from state agencies. Please go to the following link for information on how to obtain a permit: https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permitting-Process-Procedures/.

The St. Paul District Regulatory Program strongly encourages pre-application meetings, where regulatory team members can provide valuable advice to permit applicants to help streamline the permit process. We will also continue to prepare jurisdictional determinations that result in reducing, expediting, or eliminating permit requirements. Our regulatory project managers will continue to actively identify non-jurisdictional waters on project sites and prepare jurisdictional determinations to eliminate permit requirements on those waters. We are generally unable to divert resources from permitting activities to prepare jurisdictional determinations where there is no project proposal. This approach supports timely permit decisions and ensures we meet the public's needs effectively.

We appreciate your cooperation as we strive to enhance and streamline our regulatory processes for the benefit of all stakeholders. If you have questions specific to the St. Paul District’s use of the RRS, please contact 651-290-5358. For additional information on or to provide feedback on RRS, please contact us using the following email: rrs@usace.army.mil. 

USACE Regulatory Request System Promo Video

Announcements

2022 National Wetland Plant List

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as part of an interagency effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, is announcing the availability of the final 2022 National Wetland Plant List (NWPL). The Federal Register Notice for the 2022 NWPL update can be found here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-02-13/pdf/2024-02903.pdf.

The NWPL provides plant species wetland indicator status ratings, which are used in determining whether the hydrophytic vegetation factor is met when conducting wetland delineations under the Clean Water Act and wetland determinations under the Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act. Other applications of the NWPL include wetland restoration, establishment, and enhancement projects. The list is effective as of 13 February 2024 and will be used in any wetland delineations performed after this date. A summary of the 2022 NWPL is provided in the table below.

 

2022 National Wetland Plant List Updates

Scientific Name

Region

2020 Rating

2022 Rating

Isocoma menziesii

Arid West

FAC

FACU

Populus fremontii

Arid West

FAC

FACW
 

 

Completed wetland delineation/determination forms should reference the version of the NWPL used to complete the form. The final NWPL is available at https://wetland-plants.sec.usace.army.mil/ (preferred browsers are Chrome and Firefox). Please note that while the web address for the NWPL website has not changed with this update, the website itself has undergone updates to enhance the utility of the NWPL.

Updated versions of the Automated Wetland Determination Data Sheets (ADS), which reflect revisions to the NWPL, can be found at the following link: https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory-Program-and-Permits/reg_supp/ within the “General Information” dropdown. More info regarding the ADS and its utility in wetland delineation can be found at the following link: https://www.usace.army.mil/Media/Announcements/Article/2989646/5-april-2022-army-corps-of-engineers-announces-the-release-of-automated-wetland/.

 

Recent Regulatory Public Notices

WiL5R NOA Draft EA PN Time Extension 2 20240726 final
On May 20, 2024, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, St Paul District Regulatory Division (Corps) published for comment a Draft Environmental Assessment, Draft Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines Evaluation, and Draft Public Interest Review, hereafter referred to as the Draft Combined Decision Document (DCDD). This notice hereby announces the Corps decision to extend the comment period, which began on 20 May 2024. The public comment period will expire at the end of the day on 30 August 2024. This action has been taken to ensure that sufficient opportunity is provided to the public to consider and submit comments regarding the Corps federal action. This is the second time extension granted since the Corps published the DCDD. The first-time extension was granted on 07 June 2024, and was based upon public request. This second time extension has been offered by the Corps to ensure the public has sufficient time to review the following information, uploaded or updated since 20 May 2024:
Date of Expiration: 07/26/2024
Xcel Energy Cable Bayfield to Madeline Island
12,400 linear feet of electric cable is proposed to be installed from Bayfield to La Pointe, Wisconsin to replace aging cable infrastructure and provide long-term, reliable service to residents on Madeline Island.
Date of Expiration: 07/26/2024
Zenanko Wetland Bank Public Notice
The sponsor’s objective for the project is to restore 13.2 acres of historic shallow marsh and fresh wet meadow wetlands onsite by removing drainage tiles, blocking to disable tiles, ditch blocking, and restoring diverted flows back into the wetland areas. In addition to generating wetland credits onsite, this restoration would reconnect the wetlands on site to the historical wetland complex to the west. Wetland functions that were lost when the site was historically converted to crop field would be restored. The site, if approved, would provide compensatory wetland mitigation credits that applicants for Department of the Army permits could purchase to offset unavoidable losses of wetland or stream functions. The sponsor states that this bank is needed as the wetland credit demand in this BSA is high.
Date of Expiration: 08/16/2024

Regulatory News

The USACE Regulatory Program - Importance to the Public

General Permits and Water Quality Certifications

About Our Regulatory & Permits Office

The purpose of Corps of Engineers' regulatory program is to protect the nation's aquatic resources, while allowing reasonable development through fair, flexible and balanced permit decisions. The Corps evaluates permit applications for all regulated activities that occur in the nation's waters, including wetlands.

The Corps' regulatory program includes Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The St. Paul District's regulatory jurisdiction covers the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Under Section 10, a Corps permit is required to do any work in, over or under a 'Navigable Water of the U.S.' Waterbodies have been designated as 'Navigable Waters of the U.S.' based on their past, present or potential use for transportation for interstate commerce.

Under Section 404, a Corps permit is required for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the U.S. Many waterbodies and wetlands in the nation are waters of the U.S. and are subject to the Corps' Section 404 regulatory authority.

 

Contact Information

 Minnesota

USACE_Requests_MN@usace.army.mil

 Field Office Address
 Bemidji 4111 Technology
Drive NW, Suite 295
Bemidji, MN 56601
218-444-6381
 Brainerd 10867 East Gull Lake Drive NW
Brainerd, MN 56401
651-290-5767
 Duluth 600 South Lake
Avenue, Suite 211
Duluth, MN 55802
651-391-3226
 La Crescent 1114 South Oak Street
La Crescent, MN 55947
651-290-5902
 Wisconsin

USACE_Requests_WI@usace.army.mil

 Field Office

 Address
 Brookfield 250 North Sunnyslope
Road, Suite 296
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-641-5498

 Green
   Bay

 320 North Broadway, Suite 200
Green Bay, WI 54303
651-290-5878
 Hayward

10637 Hayward Court
Unit 2
Hayward, WI 54843
715-934-2170
 La Crescent 1114 South Oak Street
La Crescent, MN 55947
651-290-5903
 Stevens
   Point		 2926 Post Road,
Suite B
Stevens Point, WI 54481
715-345-7911

 District Headquarters

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District - Regulatory
332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500
St. Paul, MN 55101

Tel: (651) 290-5525
800-290-5847 x 5525
 

 Agricultural Inquiries

Tel: (651) 290-5378

Email

Joint Permit Applications

Minnesota
Minnesota Joint Application Form 

Wisconsin
Wisconsin Joint Application Form
Checklist for Wisconsin Joint Application

If you need immediate assistance,
contact the St. Paul District at
(800) 290-5847 ext. 5525 or
651-290-5525