33 CFR 331.10 – Final Corps decision
The final Corps decision on a permit application is the initial decision to issue or deny a permit, unless the applicant submits an RFA, and the division engineer accepts the RFA, pursuant to this Part. The final Corps decision on an appealed action is as follows:
Terms Used In 33 CFR 331.10
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- proffered permit: as used in this part refers to the second permit that is sent to the applicant. See 33 CFR 331.2
- Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
(a) If the division engineer determines that the appeal is without merit, the final Corps decision is the district engineer’s letter advising the applicant that the division engineer has decided that the appeal is without merit, confirming the district engineer’s initial decision, and sending the permit denial or the proffered permit for signature to the appellant; or
(b) If the division engineer determines that the appeal has merit, the final Corps decision is the district engineer’s decision made pursuant to the division engineer’s remand of the appealed action. The division engineer will remand the decision to the district engineer with specific instructions to review the administrative record, and to further analyze or evaluate specific issues. If the district engineer determines that the effects of the district engineer’s reconsideration of the administrative record would be narrow in scope and impact, the district engineer must provide notification only to those parties who commented or participated in the original review, and would allow 15 days for the submission of supplemental comments. For permit decisions, where the district engineer determines that the effect of the district engineer’s reconsideration of the administrative record would be substantial in scope and impact, the district engineer’s review process will include issuance of a new public notice, and/or preparation of a supplemental environmental analysis and decision document (see 33 CFR 325.7). Subsequently, the district engineer’s decision made pursuant to the division engineer’s remand of the appealed action becomes the final Corps permit decision. Nothing in this part precludes the agencies’ authorities pursuant to Section 404(q) of the Clean Water Act.