1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov November 29, 2016Army Corps Permits for Oil and Natural Gas PipelinesThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) administers a regulatory program that requires permits for certain activities in waters of the United States, including wetlands. Under Section 404 of the
2、 Clean Water Act (CWA, 33 U.S.C. 1344), the Corps regulates the discharge of dredged or fill material into these waters. Under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA, 33 U.S.C. 403), the Corps regulates structures and/or work in or affecting the course, condition, or capacity of navigable wat
3、ers. Because construction of pipelines of any significant length will cross or otherwise affect U.S. waters somewhere along their routes, the Corps is usually involved in approving discrete aspects of pipeline siting. The Corps is not the only governmental agency from which location-specific permits
4、 may be required for a new pipeline, but its role has received scrutiny recently, particularly in connection with controversy over siting of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). (See CRS Insight IN10567, Dakota Access Pipeline: Siting Controversy, by Paul W. Parfomak.) Nationwide Permits for Pipelines
