ANCHORAGE - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Alaska District named a new chief of its regulatory division.
Karen Kochenbach assumes statewide responsibility for administering the regulatory program pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, Section 103 of the Marine Sanctuaries and Protection Act, and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
Kochenbach formerly served as a section chief for the Corps' Pittsburgh District where she led a team of eight regulators responsible for processing permit actions for oil, gas and coal mining projects in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
She began her career as a Corps regulator in 1985 at the New England District in Massachusetts and advanced to higher positions at Corps headquarters in Washington D.C., Northwestern Division in Portland, Ore., and Pittsburgh District. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental studies from Nasson College in Maine in 1982.
Kochenbach is eager to serve Alaska District permit applicants; tribal, state and federal partners; and stakeholder interests in the execution of the regulatory program objective of balancing economic development with environmental protection of aquatic resources. She is a promoter of sustainable development that applies a fair and flexible common-sense approach through open and transparent communications.
The Corps regulatory program protects the national interest in maintaining the navigable capacity of the nation's waterways, and in restoring and maintaining the physical, biological and chemical integrity of the nation's water resources, ensuring that regulated activities in these waters are not contrary to the public interest considering environmental, social and economic concerns.
Corps press release