Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers August 28, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, is in the preapplication phase of its evaluation of the anticipated application from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) for a U.S. Department of the Army (DA) permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act for construction and operation of a Flow Equalization Basin (FEB) at the location of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) A1 Reservoir project that was not fully constructed. The USACE regulates the discharge of dredged or fill material into Waters of the United States, including jurisdictional ditches and/or wetlands, associated with construction of any proposed action. The USACE anticipates a decision on the proposed activities would constitute a Major Federal Action in accordance with 40 CFR Section 1501.8. Based on the size of the project area, the current purpose for the site, and the potential environmental impacts, both individually and cumulatively, of the anticipated Proposed Action, the USACE intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) to inform any final decision on the permit application. The USACE's decision will be to either issue, issue with modifications to the applicant's proposal, or deny Department of the Army permits for the Proposed Action. The Draft EIS is intended to be sufficient in scope to address federal and other requirements and environmental issues concerning the Proposed Action to support the Corps determination whether to issue a Section 404 permit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the U.S. Department of Interior (U.S. DOI) will be offered the option of being a cooperating agency on the EIS.