Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers October 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On June 9, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army (hereafter, ``the agencies'') announced their intent to revise the definition of ``waters of the United States'' under the Clean Water Act through two rulemakings first, a foundational rule that will propose to restore longstanding protections, and a second rulemaking process that builds on that regulatory foundation. On July 30, 2021, the agencies announced stakeholder engagement opportunities, including the agencies' intent to host ten regionally focused roundtables. EPA and Army are announcing a process for stakeholders to submit nomination letters to the agencies to potentially be selected for one of these ten geographically focused roundtables. Each roundtable should include diverse perspectives and highlight the experience of individual participants with the definition of ``waters of the United States.'' The agencies intend to livestream each roundtable to make them available for public viewing.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is proposing to establish a restricted area in the waters of the Elizabeth River surrounding the Naval Station Norfolk (NSN) Lambert's Point Deperming Station in Norfolk, Virginia. Naval Station Norfolk is the homeport of numerous ships and provides operational readiness support to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet with its facilities. The deperming station is located within the waters of the Elizabeth River and provides magnetic silencing services for military vessels. The proposed restricted area is in waters surrounding the existing facility immediately adjacent to the channel into Norfolk Harbor. The proposed restricted area is necessary to better protect underwater equipment, personnel, and vessels utilizing the facility by implementing a waterside security program.