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Review of Corps Permits on State Projects to Speed Up
State Workers will Co-locate with Corps of Engineers

 

November 11, 2004
Thursday


The Corps of Engineers, Alaska District, and the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities have entered into a cooperative agreement that will speed up environmental review of COE permit applications for ADOT&PF construction and maintenance projects. The agreement was signed in Anchorage on Friday, November 5 by ADOT&PF Commissioner Mike Barton and COE Colonel Timothy Gallagher, District Engineer.

jpg signing of agreement

The Alaska District Corps of Engineers and Alaska Department of Transportation memorandum of agreement signing allowing for the co-location of two ADOT&PF positions with the Corps to expedite review of ADOT&PF construction and maintenance projects requiring Corps permit approval. Left to right: William Keller, COE; Colonel Timothy Gallagher, COE District Engineer; John MacKinnon, ADOT&PF Deputy Commissioner for Highways and Public Facilities; and Mike Barton, ADOT&PF Commissioner.


The agreement establishes two liaison positions for the purpose of expediting design and implementation of highway and airport improvements. Federal permits are needed because the COE is responsible under federal statutes and regulations to protect aquatic and other natural resources.

"The state has an increasing number of federal-aid highway and airport construction projects that involve areas for which the Corps of Engineers has federal regulatory responsibility," said Barton. "We believe that by co-locating two of our employees with the Corps staff we should be able to significantly expedite those projects. Given the short construction season, we are interested in anything we can do to assure that permits are not holding up a construction project. This agreement is an excellent step toward that goal."

The agreement establishes a COE central point of contact to be located in the Alaska District for highway and airport projects in Alaska to increase efficiency and streamline the environmental review process. The mobility assignment will facilitate the management of COE workload of transportation project applications.

Under the agreement, ADOT&PF will fund salaries for two full-time Liaison Environmental Analysts to support regulatory services, while the Corps' Regulatory Section Chiefs will provide day-to-day supervision and work product review of the liaison positions. The COE will also provide administrative support to include on-site training, office space, and equipment.

The assignment agreement will benefit the COE by applying the ADOT&PF employees' experience in environmental areas, in obtaining appropriate information for reviewing transportation applications for the COE. The employee will use their state and federal regulatory experiences for project review and coordination. The assignment agreement will last approximately 24 months, expiring October 31, 2006, with a possible extension. Upon completion of their assignment agreement the employees will return to positions at ADOT&PF.

 

Source of News & Photograph:

Office of the Governor
Web Site

 

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