--- title: Working in WOUS? Nationwide Permit Changes are Here! description: The Nationwide Permits have been updated. Did you check to see if these updates may affect your project? Hollaway can help you. image: https://blog.hollawayenv.com/hubfs/darling%20(3).png --- [![Hollaway_LOGO_Horizontal_White](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Hollaway_LOGO_Horizontal_White.png?width=1307&height=286&name=Hollaway_LOGO_Horizontal_White.png "Hollaway_LOGO_Horizontal_White")](http://hollawayenv.com) [![Hollaway](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Vertical%20Logo%20-%20NEW.png?width=361&height=361&name=Vertical%20Logo%20-%20NEW.png "Hollaway")](http://hollawayenv.com) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. - [About](https://www.hollawayenv.com/what-we-do/) - [Meet the Team](https://www.hollawayenv.com/team/) - [Environmental](https://www.hollawayenv.com/what-we-do/environmental-services/) - [Communications](https://www.hollawayenv.com/what-we-do/communications/) - [Creative](https://www.hollawayenv.com/what-we-do/creative-services/) - [Contact](https://www.hollawayenv.com/contact/) - [Blog](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/) - [Home](https://www.hollawayenv.com/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Working in WOUS? Nationwide Permit Changes are Here! by [The Hollaway Team](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/author/the-hollaway-team)   |   Jan 15, 2021 The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) just released the Nationwide Permits (NWP) with revisions to 12 existing NWPs and 4 brand new NWPs. These permits go into effect **March 15, 2021**. The new NWPs also includes 32 general conditions that will also apply to the permits. ![Kelly field](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kelly%20field.jpg?width=300&name=Kelly%20field.jpg) NWPs enable the authorization of development projects in [Waters of the United States (WOUS)](https://www.epa.gov/nwpr/about-waters-united-states#History), including wetlands that have minimal environmental impacts. If additional impacts are anticipated, a Pre-Construction Notification (PCN) may be required. The benefits of the NWP include decreased review  and processing times. Having the NWP can allow your project to  begin more quickly. These NWPs are usually modified every five years, so the USACE is right on track. The one snag of NWPs is that it is the applicant’s responsibility to remain informed of changes, modifications, or revoked NWPs. However, fear not, as Hollaway will help you keep informed and keep your projects moving forward! ![Hollaway Environmental + Communications Services reviewing permits](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/hs-fs/hubfs/DSC_0457.jpg?width=300&name=DSC_0457.jpg)On April 15, 2020, in a court case challenging the USACE’s 2017 NWP 12: Utility Lines, a federal district court of Montana understood the reissuance of this NWP as arbitrary and had violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As a result, this NWP was temporarily vacated and then reinstated in July of 2020. Therefore, one of the most anticipated changes is separating oil and gas pipeline activities from other utility activities such as transmission lines, power lines, and water lines. These actions now require a Section 10 Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA) permit to be included in these applications, as well as limitations on length in miles. If you have any of the following NWP and have not completed the authorized work in jurisdictional WOUS (including wetlands), you may require a new permit authorization. The following permits have been modified and/or created: 1. Oil or Natural Gas Pipeline Activities 2. Surface Coal Mining Activities 3. Residential Developments 4. Commercial and Institutional Developments 5. Agricultural Activities 6. Recreational Facilities 7. Stormwater Management Facilities 8. Mining Activities 9. Commercial Shellfish Mariculture Activities 10. Underground Coal Mining Activities 11. Land-Based Renewable Energy Generation Facilities 12. Water-Based Renewable Energy Generation Pilot Projects 13. Seaweed Mariculture Activities 14. Finfish Mariculture Activities 15. Electric Utility Line and Telecommunications Activities 16. Utility Line Activities for Water and Other Substances You can read more about the revisions [here](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/13/2021-00102/reissuance-and-modification-of-nationwide-permits?utm_campaign=subscription+mailing+list&utm_source=federalregister.gov&utm_medium=email). If you are looking to obtain a new NWP or are uncertain if your project qualifies for these modifications, Hollaway Environmental Regulatory Specialists can help answer your questions and keep you informed! [![Find out more about permitting](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/4024115/c69b9855-ff56-42f8-9cdc-befd865d4cef.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/4024115/c69b9855-ff56-42f8-9cdc-befd865d4cef)   - - - - #### About the author The Hollaway Team Hollaway Environmental + Communications Services is a woman-owned consulting firm delivering environmental services, coastal planning, and strategic communications across Texas and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Posts under this byline come from across the Hollaway crew — environmental scientists, planners, communicators, and designers writing about the work and the people behind it. Topics:   [Environmental](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/tag/environmental) ,   [Permitting](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/tag/permitting) ### Related posts [Renewable Energy Permitting + Environmental Consulting in Texas](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/renewable-energy-environmental-consulting-texas) [DEI + B Quarterly Newsletter - Listening, Learning, Leading: Insights from Hollaway’s Biennial DEI&B Survey](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/dei-b-quarterly-newsletter-listening-learning-leading-insights-from-hollaways-biennial-deib-survey) [Hollaway Day: One Year Later, Still About People](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/hollaway-day-one-year-later-still-about-people) [Hollaway at the TxDOT Environmental Conference: Where Data Meets Design](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/hollaway-at-the-txdot-environmental-conference-where-data-meets-design) [DEI + B Quarterly Newsletter - Neurodiversity in the Workplace](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/dei-b-quarterly-newsletter-neurodiversity-in-the-workplace) [![Hollaway_LOGO_Horizontal_White](https://blog.hollawayenv.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Hollaway_LOGO_Horizontal_White.png?width=1307&height=286&name=Hollaway_LOGO_Horizontal_White.png "Hollaway_LOGO_Horizontal_White")](http://hollawayenv.com) 2500 Summer Street, Suite 1130 Houston, TX 77007 [713.868.1043](tel:713-868-1043) FOLLOW US [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com) [Follow us on Twitter](https://www.twitter.com) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com) © 2026 Hollaway Environmental and Communications Services, Inc. |  Privacy Policy