What are Nationwide Permits?
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Nationwide Permits are meant to authorize activities that are “similar in nature, cause only minimal adverse environmental effects when performed separately, and cause only minimal cumulative adverse effects on the aquatic environment.” The Nationwide Permits allow the Corps to focus their limited resources on activities important to them. It is not surprising that, given the Corps’ much broader focus both in terms of geography and in terms of public interest review, their focus would differ somewhat from Indiana’s focus. Congress must have anticipated this because they created a mechanism for the states to use to ensure that activities permitted by the Corps do not degrade water quality or violate other applicable laws. That mechanism is the State Water Quality Certification (also known as Section 401 Water Quality Certification). Which Nationwide Permits are approved by both IDEM and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Indian
