Mobile, Alabama – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, announced they will initiate a set of emergency permitting procedures in response to conditions resulting from the oil release associated with the Transocean Deepwater Horizon Drilling Incident. These emergency permitting procedures will apply to Mobile and Baldwin counties in Alabama and Jackson, Harrison and Hancock counties in Mississippi.
“Most activities involving containment and clean up operations may be authorized via Nationwide Permit 20 (NWP20),” said E. Patrick Robbins, Chief of Public Affairs. “NWP20 covers those activities which are subject to the National Oil and Hazardous Pollution Contingency Plan and are performed in accordance with the Spill Control and countermeasures Plan.”
The second avenue will be an emergency evaluation process to evaluate actions which do not qualify under NWP20. To qualify, an emergency action must be necessary to prevent a hazard to life or a significant loss of property. An emergency can also be an immediate, unforeseen, significant economic hardship that requires a Corps permit to take corrective action, but cannot wait for the normal permit evaluation process.
Under the emergency evaluation procedures, coordination with Federal and State agencies responsible for water quality certification/coastal zone management and management of State-owned water bottoms would be completed within 24 to 48 hours,” said Robbins.
All applications under this emergency procedure must be provided to the following address: Department of the Army, Mobile District, and Corps of Engineers. Attention: CESAM-RD – Emergency Procedures, P.O. Box 2288, Mobile, AL 36628-0001 or via fax to 251-690-2660 or 251-694-3864. If additional information is needed, please contact Mr. Munther Sahawneh, Mobile Regulatory Division, at 251-690-2658.
“Most activities involving containment and clean up operations may be authorized via Nationwide Permit 20 (NWP20),” said E. Patrick Robbins, Chief of Public Affairs. “NWP20 covers those activities which are subject to the National Oil and Hazardous Pollution Contingency Plan and are performed in accordance with the Spill Control and countermeasures Plan.”
The second avenue will be an emergency evaluation process to evaluate actions which do not qualify under NWP20. To qualify, an emergency action must be necessary to prevent a hazard to life or a significant loss of property. An emergency can also be an immediate, unforeseen, significant economic hardship that requires a Corps permit to take corrective action, but cannot wait for the normal permit evaluation process.
Under the emergency evaluation procedures, coordination with Federal and State agencies responsible for water quality certification/coastal zone management and management of State-owned water bottoms would be completed within 24 to 48 hours,” said Robbins.
All applications under this emergency procedure must be provided to the following address: Department of the Army, Mobile District, and Corps of Engineers. Attention: CESAM-RD – Emergency Procedures, P.O. Box 2288, Mobile, AL 36628-0001 or via fax to 251-690-2660 or 251-694-3864. If additional information is needed, please contact Mr. Munther Sahawneh, Mobile Regulatory Division, at 251-690-2658.
No comments:
Post a Comment