The Sacramento District office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently welcomed Michael Nepstad as the new Deputy Chief of Regulatory. He brings vast experience from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. He will act as the lead for the Six-County Aquatic Resources Inventory, and will assumea lead role in management of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and the Regional Advanced Mitigation Planning initiative being spearheaded by Caltrans.
With Nepstad's arrival, there has been a surge of activity on the Inventory. Internal and contract work has been refined and requests for proposals will soon be issued. He is working closely with SACOG to ensure close integration of existing data, regional attributes, and overall goals of both environmental and economic benefit.
With the retirement of Secretary Woodley, interest in Corps support of Blueprint-compatible development passes on to his replacement, Jo-Ellen Darcy. Confirmed in August, Darcy most recently served as a Senate environmental advisor.
Of interest to SACOG, members of Congress have asked the Corps to find ways to streamline processes for blueprint-compatible development. SACOG staff and consultant Stacey McKinley have been in conversation with Corps staff to continue this as new leadership enters. A meeting to coordinate cross-agency and cross-policy support for Blueprint development has been scheduled for early October in Washington, D.C.
For more information contact Stacey McKinley at smckinley@sacog.org.