276.7—Procedures.
(a)
Non-Federal entities desiring certification credit under the provisions of section 134a of Pub. L. 94-587 should confer with the District Engineer and submit a written application to him. The application will include full description of planned work, plans, sketches, and similar engineering data and information sufficient to permit analysis of the local proposal.
(b)
The District Engineer shall review the engineering adequacy of the local proposal and its relation to the possible selected Federal Plan and determine what part of the proposed local improvement would be eligible for certification. Prior to certification, the District Engineer will obtain the concurrence—through the Division Engineer and the Chief of Engineers—of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) by forwarding a copy of the draft survey report and providing information on:
(1)
Coordination with local interests including results of public meetings and circulation of the draft EIS.
(c)
The District Engineer shall reply by letter stating to the local applicant what local work and costs can reasonably be expected to be creditable under the provisions of section 134a. This letter shall be the certification contemplated under section 134a. The certification shall include the following conditions:
(1)
Issuance of certification shall not be interpreted as a Federal assurance regarding later approval of any project nor shall it commit the United States to any type of reimbursement if a Federal project is not undertaken.
(2)
Issuance of the certification does not eliminate the need for compliance with other Federal, State, and local requirements, including any requirements for permits, Environmental Impact Statements, etc.
(3)
If the improvement proposed by the non-Federal entity includes work that will not become a part of the Federal project, the means of determining the part eligible for reimbursement shall be fully defined.
(4)
Certification shall expire 3 years after the date of certification if the non-Federal entity has not commenced the work contemplated by the certification.
(d)
The non-Federal entity will notify the District Engineer when work commences. The District Engineer will conduct periodic and final inspections. Upon completion of local work, local interests shall provide the District Engineer details of the work accomplished and the actual costs directly associated therewith. The District Engineer shall audit claimed costs to a certain and confirm those costs properly creditable and shall inform the non-Federal entity of the audit results.
(e)
During further Corps studies, the local work actually accomplished that would constitute a legitimate part of the overall recommended Federal project may be incorporated within any plan later recommended for authorization. It shall be permissible to include the accepted costs of such certified local improvement and the flood control benefits properly attributable thereto in the benefit-cost computations for the recommended plan.
(f)
If the Corps report recommends Federal authorization of a plan that incorporates credit for local work certified under section 134a, the report shall include a specific recommendation to cover this credit and shall provide full identification and description of the local work for which such credit is recommended.
(g)
The District Engineer shall submit a copy of his certification letter and notification of creditable costs of completed work to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) through the Division Engineer and the Chief of Engineers.
(h)
All justification sheets supporting new start recommendations for Advance Engineering and Design or Construction projects will include information on certification activities in the paragraph on local cooperation. The information should include but not be limited to date of certification, work completion, description and cost of credit work.