WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Wilmington District, in partnership with the State of North Carolina, acting through the North Carolina State Ports Authority (NCSPA), is advising Federal, State, and local governmental agencies and the public, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), that a notice of availability (NOA) was published in the Federal Register conveying that a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) evaluating proposed transportation improvements for the Wilmington Harbor Navigation Project, is now available to the public.
The FEIS considered potential deepening and widening of the navigation channels at Wilmington Harbor. The USACE conducted the environmental review in accordance with the 2024 Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Regulations (40 CFR part 1500-1508). The reason for using 2024 regulations is because the Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS and LR was published 7 June 2024.
The publishing of these documents begins a 30-day waiting period required per the CEQ NEPA implementing regulations (40 CFR part 1500-1508). The 30-day period provides federal agencies, Tribes, stakeholders, and the public an opportunity to review the FEIS before the documents are formally submitted to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASA(CW)) for the Record of Decision (ROD). There is no comment period associated with the publishing of these final documents.
These documents are the result of years of hard work and collaboration with partner agencies, stakeholders, and the public. On our site, you will find the final documents and the appendices which include details of public involvement and how comments submitted were incorporated into the final documents.
All comments received during the public comment period were documented and addressed in the project documents. A summary of comments and responses by USACE can be found in Appendix O of the FEIS.
You can find these documents and more information here:
https://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Dredging/Wilmington-Harbor/Wilmington-Harbor-403-Letter-Report-and-EIS/
Click here for a copy of the final Letter Report
Click here for a copy of the final Environmental Impact Statement
USACE remains committed to working with stakeholders to accelerate the delivery of vital infrastructure, enabling nonfederal partners to complete projects quickly. After all, our primary goal is building infrastructure, not paperwork.