This public notice pertains to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, Regulatory Branch. Its purpose is to: 1) Advise the public of our status due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic; and 2) Request electronic correspondence for applications and other submittals.
We are closely monitoring the effect of COVID-19 on our community. The Secretary of Defense has given local commanders the flexibility to respond to conditions in their areas to effectively carry out their respective missions and meet the critical needs of their people. As such, the Philadelphia District Commander has implemented numerous measures to keep our employees, their families and the public safe, while still maintaining our public service commitment.
During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Philadelphia District Regulatory program continues to operate. We will continue to comply with national, state, and local recommendations for social distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Regulatory office at our District headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and project offices in Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania and Dover, Delaware are closed to the public until further notice. However, our Regulatory staff is working diligently to process existing actions and new submittals electronically. We are working remotely in a social distancing mode, office visits are postponed until further notice, meetings will be conducted virtually if possible, and the need to conduct site visits will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Meetings and site visits will be scheduled or rescheduled when exposure risks are lower and guidance allows.
While we will continue to monitor our phone systems to the best of our ability, the most reliable form of communication is email. For recently mailed paper submittals, we may request that you provide an electronic copy so we may process your application as efficiently as possible. Your patience as we transition to an electronic process is greatly appreciated. This is a rapidly changing situation. We are closely monitoring the effects to our employees and our tribal, federal, state and local agency partners that are critical in our ability to evaluate proposals and finalize permit decisions. Please continue to inquire, as needed, for updates.
The Regulatory Branch is transitioning to an electronic submittal and evaluation process for all correspondence, which includes but is not limited to: permit applications, enforcement and compliance actions, mitigation, and jurisdictional determinations. Recent events have necessitated the immediate implementation of this procedure. The electronic processing procedure will increase the efficiency of correspondence, furthering the goal of providing timely decisions. We expect this new procedure to last indefinitely as our improved operating procedure for maximum efficiency. 2 Information regarding our new procedures is provided below.
We will fine-tune this as we gain more experience and feedback, and publish updates as needed. Please send all new Section 10/404/103/408 applications (except where an applicable State Programmatic General Permit applies) and other correspondence via email to one of the addresses provided below based on the state in which the work is proposed: PhiladelphiaDistrictRegulatory@usace.army.mil CENAP.POCONO.REGULATORY@usace.army.mil DoverRegulatoryFieldOffice@usace.army.mil
To assist with this effort and to help expedite the processing of your request, please provide the following information in the body of your email for ALL new requests, and attach the appropriate application information: a. Applicant/requestor/client contact information (name, address, phone, email): b. Detailed narrative describing the project purpose: c. Location description of the project area (address or lat/long, city, county, state): d. Type of Request (pre-application, jurisdictional determination, self-verification, general permit, individual permit, no permit required, dredge sampling plan, etc.).
If you are already working with a project manager on a specific project, please continue to coordinate directly with them via their email. Upon receipt of a new application, request, or inquiry we will confirm receipt. A Regulatory project manager will contact you after the project has been assigned. Questions regarding active projects should be directed to the project manager assigned to process the request. As stated above, email is the preferred method of contact at this time.
There are three ways to overcome size limitations when sending and receiving large emails: a. Divide attachments among multiple emails; b. Request a link via email that will allow you to send large files. We are only able to use government approved file transfer programs (one example is the DoD Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE)). Please send the request to the appropriate email box listed above or a specific project manager if one has been assigned; or c. Save the documents on a CD/DVD and mail it to one of our Regulatory offices. We are currently able to access mail in the office, but this is subject to change and retrieving this information may be delayed due to the current COVID-19 situation. If it is necessary to provide a paper copy of any submittal, please also provide a digital copy to enable us to evaluate your application as efficiently as possible. Please communicate with our staff if you are unable to provide a digital copy, as allowances will be made. If determined necessary, please mail paper copies to the following addresses and include the project manager’s name (if assigned) on the first line:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Branch Wanamaker Building 100 Penn Square East Philadelphia, PA 19107
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pocono Area Field Office 53 State Route 435, Suite 4 Clifton Township, PA 18424 3
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dover Field Office 1203 College Park Drive, Suite 103 Dover, DE 19904
Digital documents must have sufficient resolution to depict project details. In order to have the highest quality documents, please convert original digital documents to PDF. All forms that require signature must be digitally signed or signed manually, scanned and then transmitted electronically. If telephone is the preferred method of communication, you may call a project manager directly if you are working with them on a particular project or our general phone numbers:
District Headquarters (215) 656-6728
Gouldsboro/Pocono Area Field Office (570) 842-1044
Delaware/Dover Field Office (302) 736-9764
Please consult our Regulatory website for additional information and operational updates. This procedure is effective immediately. If you have any questions, please contact Michael Hayduk at michael.h.hayduk@usace.army.mil or (267) 207-9892.