Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’; Conforming was published in the Federal Register on September 8, 2023. View the Corps announcement 8 September 2023 - EPA and the Army Issue Final Rule to Amend 2023 Rule and related announcements about Waters of the United States (WOTUS) on the the USACE Headquarters Regulatory Announcements page.

Regulatory Program Notices

Below are regulatory announcements, in chronological order, which are both current and historical. Current announcements provide information regarding ongoing regulatory processes and happenings. Historical announcements remain posted, as long as they remain up-to-date and applicable, to provide the public with a transparent record of changes and improvements to our program.   Regulatory image of trees over a creek

Portland District Special Emergency Processing Procedures

Portland District
Published April 9, 2025

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: 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 Portland 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.

These special emergency processing procedures have been approved for activities associated with the identification, siting, production, transportation, refining, and generation of domestic energy sources, including energy infrastructure, that require Department of the Army authorization under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and/or Section 103 of the Marine Research, Protection, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, as amended, where there would be an unacceptable hazard to life, a significant loss of property, or an immediate, unforeseen, and significant economic hardship if the action requiring a permit is not undertaken within a time period less than the normal time needed to process the application under standard procedures.

If you have any questions concerning these special emergency processing procedures, please email PortlandRegulatory@usace.army.mil.