Background

The Section 404 NEPA Merger Process has been applied to surface transportation projects in the State of North Carolina since the original agreement integrating Section 404 permit requirements with the NEPA process was signed in May 1997. In May 2001, multiple state and federal agencies began an initiative to modify the original process to incorporate experience gained with years of use of the 1997 agreement, guidance from the USACE-NCDOT-NCDENR permit process improvement workshop, and incorporation of the streamlining provisions of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st century (TEA-21). The modified agreement was signed in May/June 2005 by the primary signatory agencies [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR)].