TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that the following request has been submitted for a Department of the Army (DA) under the provisions of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act for the discharge of fill material into waters of the United States (U.S.) associated with PROJECT NAME. Pursuant to Sec. 1 and Sec. 4 of EO 14156, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Rock Island District has found the request to be subject to emergency treatment pursuant to special permit processing procedures in accordance with 33 CFR § 325.2(e)(4) for the National Energy Emergency established by Executive Order 14156, which was issued on January 20, 2025, and the special processing procedures established by Mississippi Valley Division. These special emergency processing procedures have been established for activities associated with the identification, siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation of domestic energy sources, including energy infrastructure, that require a DA authorization under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and/or Section 404 of the Clean Water Act:
APPLICANT: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District
Clock Tower Building
P.O. Box 2004
Rock Island, Illinois 61204-2004
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: All WOTUS in the State of Illinois and Iowa, within the regulatory boundaries of the Rock Island District.
PROJECT PURPOSE: Establishment of Emergency Permitting Procedures for projects associated with Executive Order 14156 National Energy Emergency (Enclosure 1).
WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION: Compliance with Section 401 Water Quality Certification procedures is required for this project.
HISTORIC PROPERTIES: In accordance with the special processing procedures established by Mississippi Valley Division, the district is coordinating with the State Historic Preservation Office [or Tribal Historic Preservation Officer] under 36 CFR Part 800.12 in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES: In accordance with the special processing procedures established by Mississippi Valley Division, the district is consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under 50 CFR Part 402.05 in accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
PUBLIC INTEREST: This application will be reviewed in accordance with 33 CFR Parts 320-332, the Regulatory Program of the Corps, and other pertinent laws, regulations, and executive orders. Our evaluation will also follow the guidelines published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to Section 404(b) (1) of the Clean Water Act (40 CFR Part 230). Interested parties are invited to state any objections they may have to the proposed work. The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest. That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefit that reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors that may be relevant to the proposal will be considered including the cumulative effects thereof; of those are conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historic properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people. The district will make a permit decision after considering/addressing any comments submitted by the agencies.
COMMENTS: Comments and requests for additional information should be submitted electronically to Matt Zehr by email at matthew.a.zehr@usace.army.mil or via the Regulatory Request System at https://rrs.usace.army.mil/rrs
If you do not have internet access, comments may be submitted through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to the following address:
United States Army Corps of Engineers
ATTN: Rock Island, Regulatory Division
Public Notice: Emergency Permitting Procedures
Clock Tower Building
PO Box 2004
Rock Island, IL 61201-2004
Comments should only be provided through the USPS when electronic transmission is not possible. Precautionary internal mail handling procedures may be instituted to protect our workforce, which may result in longer than normal times to process and receive hard copy submissions. To be considered in our evaluation, comments submitted through the USPS should have a postmark dated on, or prior to, the close of the comment period, May 9, 2025.
Please note that submitted comments in response to this Public Notice become part of our administrative record and, as such, may be available to the public under provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Thank you for your interest in our Nation's water resources. Matt Zehr may also be reached at 309-794-5372 or matthew.a.zehr@usace.army.mil.
Click the link below to view the full notice.