What is Merger 01?

Merger 01 is a process to streamline the project development and permitting processes, agreed to by the USACE, NCDENR (DWQ, DCM), FHWA and NCDOT and supported by other stakeholder agencies and local units of government. To this effect, the Merger 01 process provides a forum for appropriate agency representatives to discuss and reach consensus on ways to facilitate meeting the regulatory requirements of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act during the NEPA/SEPA decision-making phase of transportation projects.

The Merger 01 process allows agency representatives to work more efficiently (quicker and comprehensive evaluation and resolution of issues) by providing a common forum for them to discuss and find ways to comply with key elements of their agency's mission. The merger process helps to document how competing agency mandates are balanced during a shared decision-making process, which results in agency representatives reaching a "compromise based decision" to the regulatory and individual agency mandates.