The US Army Corps of Engineers  (USACE)has been considering climate change impacts on their work for some time. In 2009, the USACE issued an engineering guidance for the planning, engineering, and construction of civil works along the shoreline.  The guidance offered suggestions on how to calculate rates of sea level rise over the useful life of the project.

The guidance also stated that the USACE would be studying sea level rise impacts and would issue a permanent engineering document in the future. Well, the document has arrived. The new engineering guidance expands upon and provide additional detail on how to calculate sea level rise and incorporate it into construction projects along the tidal shoreline or in tidal floodzones.

As it is currently written, the policy only applies to the construction and engineering part of the Civil Works Division.  However, the Civil Works Division also includes the wetlands regulatory program and Wetlands Watch has been using these engineering guidances to challenge wetlands permits - and we will continue to do so.  Recently our comments pointed out the problems with a tidal wetlands bank in Virginia - the permit application was denied.  We will continue to make the case for wetlands impacts due to sea level rise.