Abstract
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the leading global public engineering agency, responsible for military construction, civil works, and engineering regiment. As a fulltime project manager intern in the South Atlantic Division's Regulatory branch, I oversaw projects in Monroe County, which includes the entire Florida Keys section. My primary responsibility was to review submitted applications and issue Army Corps permits that focused on dock, seawall, revetment, and mooring pile projects requiring repair, construction, or replacement. To protect the surrounding resources of the Florida Keys, adherence to regulations such as Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), Sections 9 & 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA), and Section 103 of the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) were essential. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) were also commonly applied frameworks when reviewing projects. Proper interpretation of these regulations ensures minimal impact on aquatic ecosystems and waterway navigation. Through utilizing the Corps' Object-relational mapping (ORM) data entry system, I conducted an in-depth evaluation on the impacts of USACE-permitted projects in the Florida Keys. Resources such as submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), corals, and mangroves are recorded. This analysis involved assessing the ecological footprint of various projects, determining the full extent of resource degradation, and identifying areas where regulatory compliance should direct its focus. I also analyzed data from my assigned projects over the past several months, examining the effectiveness of policies and regulations surrounding the mitigation of environmental impacts. For this project I reviewed a case study on a permit that required compensatory mitigation. This step-by-step review of this aids in the understanding of the entire regulatory process that is involved with every application that the Army Corps receives. Through my analysis of this project, people may begin to understand some of the shortcomings of the regulatory process and how it can be improved.