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96 Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and section 404 of the Clean water Act of 1972, as amended. Please consult with the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (provide address and telephone number)." (c) If permits are required for the proposed action, the Service may concur, with or without stipulations, or recommend denial depending on the effects on fish and wildlife resources. For example, for a CG permit for a major bridge replacement, the Service could require features to reduce turbidity during project construction, or that the shoreline area be stabilized with planting suitable for wildlife utilization. (d) The following general guidance applies to the Service's review of section 10/404 permit applications with regard to NEPA compliance. (i) Integrating NEPA effectively into the section 10/404 process is a ~. question of "timing." The key elements of the NEPA document (proposal, alternatives, impact assessment) are of little value to the decisionmaker if it is not prepared and publicly reviewed simultaneously with the permit document. (ii) The requirements for identifying alternatives under NEPA and section 404 are similar. However, the section 404(b)(1) guidelines require selection of the "least environmentally damaging practicable alternative." NEPA does not require the selection of any particular alternative, only that all reasonable alternatives be identified and analyzed. (iii) Permit applicants should be made aware early-on of the Corps requirement to comply with NEPA and the section 404(b)(1) guidelines. This should be done through pre-application consultation. (iv) When an EIS is required, the section 404 process, including the identification of potential alternatives, should commence with the NEPA scoping process. (v) Ideally, to fulfill the purpose of NEPA, the Corps should receive sufficient information from the applicant to either prepare a draft NEPA document for inclusion with the public notice, or provide public notice for review of the draft environmental document prior to the final decision. Following public review, the final NEPA document and compliance with the section 404(b)(I) guidelines would be completed and the permit decision made. (2) Bridges on federally-funded highways require the approval of both the FHWA and the CG. Procedures coordinating the actions of these two agencies are found in a 1972 FHWA/CG Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) (refer to p0I Environmental Review Memorandum ER 73-2, April 11, 1973, in the Service NEPA Reference Handbook). The 1972 FHWA/CG MOA assigns the responsibility for preparing the environmental documents to the FHWA. The CG considers the environmental documents and other information in their decision to approve (with or without conditions) or deny a bridge permit, pursuant to 33 U.S.C. 401, 491, 511 et seq., 525, and acts of Congress. 4.3 Department of Transportation Act of 1966 Activities.