195 



Questions and Answers for the Record 



Hearing Before House MM&F-OGM&OCS on 30 March 1993 



Ocean Disposal of Contaminated Dredge Material 



Question from Chairman Ortiz - There are a number of parties 

 that have expressed concern over the lack of public comment and 

 input provided by the existing permitting process. Could you 

 explain the various steps in the process that your agency 

 provides for public input? 



ANSWER Mr. Rees: The basic philosophy of the program is to 

 provide full and open public involvement. To achieve that, the 

 following process has been developed. Upon receipt of a complete 

 permit application, the Corps prepares a public notice to solicit 

 input from the general public, as well as from federal, state and 

 local agencies, environmental groups, and other interested 

 parties. Public notices are mailed to those who have expressed a 

 desire to be informed of proposed projects and have reguested to 

 be placed on mailing lists pertaining to certain areas, 

 watersheds, or projects within the district boundaries. The 

 public may also telephone or meet with Corps representatives 

 concerning permit applications. 



The Corps may also determine that there is a need to conduct 

 a public hearing to provide additional information to assist in 

 its decision on a particular permit application. The general 

 public is advised of the hearing in a public notice, and may 

 provide oral comments during the hearing, which are recorded 

 verbatim. Written comments may also be submitted either during 

 the hearing or prior to the close of the hearing record. 



