Public Notices - Minnesota and Wisconsin

  • Superior Terminal Mainline Optimization Project

    Expiration date: 4/11/2026

    The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that the following request associated with Enbridge Energy’s Superior Terminal Mainline Optimization Project has been submitted for a Department of the Army (DA) permit under the provisions of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In Executive Order (EO) 14156 the President declared a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1621) based upon the finding that the United States’ insufficient energy production, transportation, refining, and generation constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to our Nation’s economy, national security, and foreign policy. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), St. Paul District has found that this permit request meets the terms of EO 14156 and is therefore subject to special emergency permitting procedures to address an energy supply situation which would result in an unacceptable hazard to life, a significant loss of property, or an immediate, unforeseen, and significant economic hardship if corrective action requiring a permit is not undertaken within a time period less than the normal time needed to process the application under standard procedures. The St. Paul District will implement the special processing procedures approved by Mississippi Valley Division in accordance with 33 CFR § 325.2(e)(4). The applicant proposes to discharge fill material in waters of the United States associated with construction activities for the Superior Terminal Mainline Optimization project. The applicant proposes to undertake this project at its Superior Terminal as part of a broader initiative to optimize transportation of crude oil to support the delivery of energy in North America. The project consists of installing water‑based cooling towers and associated equipment to support temperature maintenance of crude oil received from Line 67 and Line 93 within preferred storage tank operating ranges, thereby limiting emissions. The cooling towers will operate as an open loop, non‑contact cooling water system. No direct discharge to surface waters or wetlands is proposed.

  • Archibald Mitigation Bank (2025-00945-ANM)

    Expiration date: 4/8/2026

    The sponsor is proposing to restore a 46-acre agricultural site to offset unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources authorized by state and federal permits.

  • 2026 Nationwide Permits (NWP) Background and Updates

    Expiration date: 2/27/2027

    In the June 18, 2025, issue of the Federal Register (90 FR 26100), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) published its proposal to reissue 56 existing NWPs, to issue one new NWP, and not to reissue one NWP. To solicit comments on its proposed regional conditions for these NWPs and proposed revocation of certain NWPs within Minnesota and Wisconsin, the St Paul District issued a public notice on June 18, 2025. The St. Paul District’s public notice sought to solicit comment on the District’s proposal to (re)issue 43 NWPs and associated regional conditions and revoke 14 NWPs within Minnesota and Wisconsin. In the final action published in the Federal Register on January 8, 2026 (91 FR 768), the Corps reissued 56 existing NWPs and issued one new NWP. In that final action, the Corps also reissued the NWP general conditions and definitions. Those NWPs and the NWP general conditions and definitions are effective March 15, 2026. The NWPs will expire on March 15, 2031. After the issuance of the final NWPs, the St. Paul District considered the need for regional conditions for these NWPs. On March 16, 2026, when the 2026 NWPs go into effect, the St. Paul District will authorize activities under the following 2021 NWPs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 51, 52, 53, 54, 59, and 60. The 2026 regional conditions, water quality certifications, and CZMA consistency decisions applicable to these 2026 NWPs are provided in this public notice and are outlined in the enclosures to this document.

  • 2020-00260 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Issues Validated Permit to Enbridge Energy for Line 5 Wisconsin Segment Relocation

    The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) St. Paul District has issued a validated permit to Enbridge Energy to cross the White River, permanently discharge fill material into 998 square feet of wetlands, and temporarily discharge dredged and fill materials into 101.1 acres of wetlands and 0.20 acres of non-wetland waters for the construction of the Line 5 Wisconsin segment relocation. The project is located in parts of Bayfield, Ashland and Iron Counties, Wisconsin.

  • Announcing Reissuance of the Nationwide Permits (NWPs)

    Expiration date: 3/14/2026

    On January 8, 2026, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) published a final action in the Federal Register (91 FR 768) announcing the reissuance of 56 existing nationwide permits (NWPs) and one new NWP, as well as the reissuance of NWP general conditions and definitions with some modifications. These 57 NWPs will go into effect on March 15, 2026, and will expire on March 15, 2031. One NWP was not reissued. The Corps has also issued final decision documents for the new and reissued NWPs. These final decision documents are available at www.regulations.gov at docket number COE-2025-0002. Furthermore, the national NWP decision documents will be supplemented by Division Engineers to address decisions concerning the addition of regional conditions to the NWPs.

  • ANNOUNCEMENT OF RELEASE OF THE WISCONSIN GUIDELINES VERSION 2

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District Regulatory Division (Corps) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (Wisconsin DNR) are announcing the official release of the Wisconsin Guidelines, Version 2 (Wisconsin Guidelines). The agencies have developed the Wisconsin Guidelines as two documents, one tailored for sponsors titled Procedures for Developing Wetland Compensatory Mitigation Sites in Wisconsin and the second for applicants/permittees titled Procedures for Project Proponents on Compensatory Mitigation Requirements in Wisconsin.

  • Special Public Notice- Emergency Processing Procedures in Minnesota and Wisconsin

    The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that the United States (U.S.) Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Vally Division has approved the use of special emergency processing procedures by the St. Paul District in accordance with 33 CFR § 325.2(e)(4) for the National Energy Emergency established by Executive Order (EO) 14156, which was issued on January 20, 2025 under the President’s legal authorities, including the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq) and section 301 of title 3, United States code.

  • Special Public Notice (MNWI SQT release)

    Expiration date: 1/6/2030

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District Regulatory Division (Corps) is announcing the release of version 1.0 of the Minnesota and Wisconsin (MNWI) Stream Quantification Tool (SQT) and Debit Calculator. The MNWI SQT replaces, updates, and merges the Minnesota SQT (MNSQT) version 2.0 and the beta version of Wisconsin SQT (WISQT) to create a single tool for quantifying functional change on streams throughout the two states.

  • Supplemented Minor Discharges and Utility Regional General Permits in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Federally Recognized American Indian Reservations

    Expiration date: 2/19/2028

    This notice announces the availability of the Utility and Minor Discharges regional general permits (RGP’s) for use within the Lake Superior Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) previously excluded as part of the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401(a)(2) process (401(a)(2) process).

  • Superior SAMP IV RGP

    Expiration date: 8/15/2028

    This notice announces the reissuance and availability of the City of Superior, WI Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) IV Regional General Permit (RGP). The Superior SAMP IV RGP is now available to authorize certain Section 404-regulated activities in wetlands identified as eligible for the RGP in the Superior SAMP (version IV) for single and complete residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, and public development projects. The RGP authorizes regulated activities that have been determined to result in no more than minimal individual or cumulative adverse environmental effects. The applicable terms and conditions are described in the Superior SAMP IV RGP attached to this notice.