The ongoing partial government shutdown has caused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop issuing permits for projects.
The Corps says that it’s closing all regulatory offices that issue permits until the partial government shutdown ends. That includes permits to work on navigable rivers or streams, wetlands, and mining.
Spokesperson Patrick Moes says the move is the first major effect the shutdown has had on the Corps’ St. Paul District. He says that people who want to work the Corps will notice that “there’s no longer anyone available to work with them to expedite the process of those permits.”
Moes also says 75 employees in the St. Paul District have been furloughed.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources often works with the Corps on permitting projects. Western Wisconsin DNR Field Supervisor Dave Pericak says the closure won’t affect the state’s operations, but it will delay individuals and groups. “We have some projects that are pending with the cranberry industry,” says Pericak. “I can think of a project with Fort McCoy.”
If there is an emergency, like flooding, the Corps will be able to issue permits for the relief process.
The Corps' dredging on the Mississippi River continues and the locks and dams remain open because they are considered essential functions.
