Corps of Engineers Regulatory program in New England immediately implements electronic procedures due to COVID-19

UNITED STATES

03.25.2020

Story by Timothy Dugan 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District

CONCORD, Mass. – During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Regulatory permitting program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District continues to operate while still complying with national, state, and local recommendations for social distancing to curb the spread of the virus and has immediately implemented electronic procedures due to COVID-19.

The Regulatory office at District headquarters in Concord, Massachusetts, and project offices in Maine and Vermont are closed to the public until further notice. However, the Regulatory staff is processing existing actions and new submittals electronically. Office visits are postponed until further notice. Meetings will be conducted virtually, if possible, and the need to conduct site visits will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Meetings and site visits will be scheduled or rescheduled when exposure risks are lower and guidance allows.

The Regulatory Division is transitioning to an electronic submittal and evaluation process for all correspondence, which includes but is not limited to: permit applications, enforcement and compliance actions, mitigation, and jurisdictional determinations. Please send all new Section 10/404/103/408 applications and other correspondence via email to one of the addresses provided below based on the state in which the work is proposed:

[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]
[e-mail]

(Note that the Corps utilizes a coordinated process with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NH DES), and receives applications from NH DES. Therefore, applicants in New Hampshire are advised to follow the existing process, and not email new applications to the above address.)

If the telephone is the preferred method of communication, call a project manager directly if working with them on a particular project or Regulatory’s general phone numbers:

District Headquarters, Concord, MA (CT, MA, NH, RI) [phone]
Maine Project Office [phone]
Vermont Project Office [phone] or [phone]

If it is necessary to provide a paper copy of any submittal, please also provide a digital copy to enable the staff to evaluate the application as efficiently as possible. Please communicate with the staff if unable to provide a digital copy, as allowances will be made. If determined necessary, please mail paper copies to the following addresses and include the project manager’s name (if assigned) on the first line:

Regulatory Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District
696 Virginia Road
Concord, MA 01742-2751

Regulatory Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District
442 Civic Center Drive, Suite 350
Augusta, ME 04330

Regulatory Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District
11 Lincoln Street, Room 210
Essex Junction, VT 05452

The public notice, with more specific information on these procedures, can be viewed on the Corps website at https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/PublicNotices/.

Please consult the Regulatory website (https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory) for additional information and operational updates. This procedure is effective immediately. If you have any questions, please contact Greg Penta at [e-mail] or [phone].


Contact
Tim Dugan
978-318-8264
[e-mail]
Release no. 20-011

• Date Taken: 03.25.2020
• Date Posted: 03.25.2020 13:18
• Story ID: 365858
• Location: US