CONCORD, Mass. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is seeking public comments on 15 projects which have applied for funding through New Hampshire’s In Lieu Fee program, the Aquatic Resource Mitigation Fund. The sponsor for the program is the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

The In Lieu Fee program serves as an alternative form of compensation for impacts to aquatic resources authorized by the New England District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and/or the state of New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES).

These projects were submitted in response to an announcement requiring submittal of pre-proposals by April 30, 2012. Full proposals were due by Aug. 10, 2012. The announcement includes the information required for a submission. The announcement, the current amount of funds available for release, and additional information can be found at the Aquatic Resource Mitigation Fund (ARM Fund) website:

http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wetlands/wmp/index.htm.

Any of the projects which involve restoration, enhancement, and/or creation will require Corps, state, or local permits and will be applying individually. Project descriptions and maps of the 15 projects are listed in the public notice on the Corps website at: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Regulatory/Public%20Notices/.

The Corps is seeking comments from the public; federal, state and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other interested groups in order to determine the most appropriate projects to receive funding from the ARM Fund. Any comments received will be provided to the Site Selection Committee which makes recommendations to the New Hampshire Wetlands Council and the Interagency Review Team, including the Corps of Engineers, and will be considered in the evaluation of the projects and the determination of which will receive funding. To make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public interest factors.

The New Hampshire DES Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund was established in 2006 to provide wetlands permit applicants with an additional option to address federal and state mitigation requirements when impacts to jurisdictional wetlands and other aquatic resources are permitted that require mitigation. DES manages and implements the ARM Fund in accordance with both the state statutory requirements and a Memorandum of Understanding between DES and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that ensures consistency and compliance with federal standards. All ILF agreements in New England are available for review on the Corps website at http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Regulatory/Mitigation/in-lieu.htm.

Public comments on these projects seeking funding through the New Hampshire In-Lieu Fee Program, the Aquatic Resource Mitigation Fund (file # NAE 2005-1142) should be forwarded no later than Nov. 15, 2012 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Ruth Ladd), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751; or contact Ruth Ladd at 978-318-8818 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: ruth.m.ladd@usace.army.mil.