The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Civil Works mission began in 1824 with navigation on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Today, the Civil Works mission enables the agency to build, operate, and maintain a wide range of water resource projects. The USACE missions are defined by the Legislative and Executive Branches and include:

• Coastal and Storm Damage Reduction
• Environmental Restoration
• Flood Risk Management
• Hydropower
• Navigation
• Recreation
• Water supply

For additional information about the USACE Civil Works Program please contact: buffalo-civilworks@usace.army.mil.

The Department of the Army (DA) Regulatory Program is one of the oldest programs in the federal government. Initially, the Regulatory Division served a fairly simple, straightforward purpose: To protect and maintain the navigable capacity of the Nation's waters, under Section 10 of the River and Harbors Act of 1899. In 1972, the Clean Water Act (Act) was signed into law and the DA was directed to administer Section 404 of the Act, which regulates the discharge of dredged and/or fill material into waters of the United States. In 1977, the Corps of Engineers jurisdiction was increased to include wetlands as part of the Waters of the US.

The Regulatory Program is committed to protecting the Nation's aquatic resources and navigation capacity, while allowing reasonable development through fair and balanced decisions.  Buffalo District Regulators are dedicated to protecting New York and Ohio's federal waters while allowing reasonable and necessary development to move forward through evaluation of permit applications for essentially all construction activities that occur in the Nation's waters, including wetlands.

Buffalo District Regulatory Office - Phone (716) 879-4330  Email: LRBRegInquiries@usace.army.mil

FUSRAP stands for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, a program initiated in 1974 to identify, investigate and clean up or control sites that were part of the Nation's early atomic energy and weapons program. Activities at the sites that are eligible for FUSRAP were conducted by the Manhattan Engineer District (MED) or the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), both predecessors of the Department of Energy (DOE).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was assigned management of FUSRAP by Congress in 1997. The Buffalo District is charged with managing the FUSRAP sites within the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division.

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During natural disasters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District Emergency Management Office conducts emergency operations to protect lives, alleviate suffering and remediate damage in accordance with Public Law (PL) 84-99 and PL 93-288.

PL 84-99 assistance includes flood response, post flood response, rehabilitation, advance measures and hazard mitigation.

PL 93-288 and the National Response Framework (NRF) provide authority for FEMA to task USACE with technical support and direct assistance during response and recovery missions. This is accomplished through the Emergency Support Functions of the NRF. Typical missions/support include: potable water, ice, debris clearance and removal, temporary housing, infrastructure assessment, temporary power and temporary roofing.

Assistance under these two authorities is supplemental to local and State efforts and normally at the request of the State's governor.

Buffalo District Emergency Management Office - Phone (716) 879-4160 Email: DLL-LRB-EOC@usace.army.mil

The Buffalo District delivers world class engineering solutions to the Great Lakes Region, the Army, and the Nation in order to ensure national security, environmental sustainability, water resource management, and emergency assistance during peace and war.

• The Buffalo District has done an excellent job of taking on and tackling new missions.
• It has a diverse group of professionals including: civil, environmental, electrical, and mechanical engineers; architects and cost estimators; hydrologists and hydraulic engineers; economists, community planners, and outreach specialists; biologists, and environmental and wetland scientists; health physicists, industrial hygienists, risk assessors, and chemists; program and project managers; and construction inspectors and managers.
• Our staff is dedicated as evidenced by our support to the overseas Contingency Operations, national emergencies, and our excellent mission execution record.
• We are adaptable as evidenced by our development as an Hazardous Toxic Radiological Waste Design Center and execution of the FUSRAP Program and DERP-FUDS Projects. The District was assigned FUSRAP with the stipulation of no additional FTEs and had to "retool" our workforce with an intense training program and selective filling of vacancies with HTRW-capable experts.
• The District has done a significant number of Architectural/Engineering Contracts type jobs for other Corps Districts and other Federal agencies. These jobs have been completed within schedule and budget parameters. Several examples of these projects and our Customers assessments are included below.

In summary, the Buffalo District stands ready to support the diverse needs of our customers.

To request documents under FOIA, please provide at a minimum a description of the information requested and contact information for the requestor. We may contact the requestor for additional information to make a determination about fees. 
 
For additional assistance in submitting a request, see the  Army Citizens Guide  or the Department of Defense’s FOIA Handbook. The Guide and the Handbook provide advice on the rules of the FOIA and how to submit a FOIA request to Army and Defense Department Agencies.
 
Sample Request Letter:
 
Dear :
 
     This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552).
 
     I request that a copy of the following document(s) be provided to me: [identify the documents as specifically as possible].
 
     In order to help you determine my status for the purpose of assessing fees, you should know that I am [insert one of the descriptions below]
 
        a representative of the news media affiliated with the _______ newspaper (magazine, television station, etc.), and this request is made as part of newsgathering and not for a commercial use.
 
        affiliated with an educational or noncommercial scientific institution, and this request is made for a scholarly or scientific purpose and not for a commercial use.
 
        affiliated with a private business and am seeking information for use in the company’s business.
 
        an individual seeking information for personal use and not for a commercial use.
 
     I am willing to pay the appropriate fees for this request up to a maximum of $___. If you estimate that the fees will exceed this limit, please inform me first.
 
     I also include a telephone number at which I can be contacted if necessary to discuss any aspect of my request.
 
                                Sincerely,
 
 
 
                                Name
                                Address
                                City, State, Zip Code
                                Telephone number
 
Send all requests via mail or e-mail to:
 
FOIA Officer/FOIA Coordinator
Office of Counsel
USACE, Buffalo District
478 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
 
Email: foia-lrb@usace.army.mil