The Department of the Army and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced we are seeking comments on an interim final rule that establishes new National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing regulations at Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 333 for the USACE Regulatory Program and the USACE Section 408 Program. The interim final rule became effective on July 3, 2025 for Regulatory Program permit applications and Section 408 permission requests submitted to the USACE on or after July 3, 2025. The new USACE NEPA implementing procedures at 33 CFR 333 replace the Corps Regulatory Program’s previous NEPA implementing procedures at 33 CFR 325, appendix B.

A public notice soliciting comments on the interim final rule was published in the July 3, 2025, Federal Register at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/07/03/2025-12360/procedures-for-implementing-nepa-processing-of-department-of-the-army-permits. Department of the Army and USACE will accept written comments through August 4, 2025. Comments may be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking portal at www.regulations.gov at docket number COE-2025-0006.

Last year the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers introduced its new Regulatory Request System (RRS), an online application portal that allows the public to submit permit applications and other information when requesting permission to dredge, fill or conduct activities in jurisdictional wetlands and waters of the U.S.

RRS is accessible at https://rrs.usace.army.mil/rrs.

RRS users can submit individual permit applications, general permit pre-construction notifications, jurisdictional determination requests, and other information needed during the permit evaluation process using easy-to-follow online submission forms. Applicants can also track the status of their requests using a user-friendly dashboard. 

RRS benefits the applicant by eliminating the burden associated with the preparation and mailing of paper applications. It also reduces some of the effort associated with processing applications and data entry making the permitting process more efficient. Click here to learn more about the benefits of RRS (RRS Testimonial Video).

For more information on the USACE Regulatory Program visit https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory-Program-and-Permits/.

For further details or to provide feedback about the RRS, please contact USACE at rrs@usace.army.mil.

The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Northwestern Division has approved the use of special emergency processing procedures by the Omaha District in accordance with 33 CFR § 325.2(e)(4) for activities covered by the National Energy Emergency declared in Executive Order (EO) 14156. That EO 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 3 USC § 301. For the reasons stated in Section 1 of EO 14156, the President has found that insufficient energy production, transportation, refining, and generation constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to our Nation’s economy, national security, and foreign policy and declared a national emergency on the basis of those findings. The President has directed agencies to use, to the fullest extent possible and consistent with applicable law, emergency USACE permitting provisions to facilitate the Nation’s energy supply.

Link to Public Notice:  Special Public Notice for Special Emergency Processing Procedures under E.O. 14156 in Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming for Section 10 Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 Clean Water Action Permits.