Department of Defense August 15, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) intends to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to address the proposed Springfield Supplemental Water Supply Project (previously referred to as the Proposed Water Supply Reservoir Hunter Lake) in Sangamon County, IL. The Corps, working in conjunction with the City of Springfield, Office of Public Utilities, also known as the City Water, Light & Power (City), prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et. seq.] that evaluated a range of alternatives to provide supplemental water supply to meet a projected deficit in water availability. A final EIS was prepared and published in November of 2000. The Final EIS (EIS No. 000402) was published in the Federal Register on November 24, 2000; however, no Record of Decision was issued. The City has conducted an updated water demand analysis that demonstrates a sustained need for additional water supply to meet current and future demands. In accordance with Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations specified in 40 CFR 1502.9, the Corps in conjunction with the City are initiating the preparation of an EIS supplement.

This final rule removes regulations concerning Public Affairs liaison with industry. These Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) provisions are outdated and no longer accurate or applicable as written. The guidance, as revised, sets forth internal standards for how DoD employees should reach out and engage with industry. With respect to the visual information portion, it is essentially a collection and discussion of currently applicable intellectual property law that does not create any new public duties or obligations. Therefore, these regulations are removed from the CFR.