Washington (June 11, 2018) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) delivered to Congress its Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 2018) work plan for the Army Civil Works program on Thursday, June 7.
The work plan includes nearly $37.5 million additional funding for Seattle District projects. Those projects include:
-
Skokomish River Basin Ecosystem Restoration engineering and design - $1,055,000
-
Tacoma Navigation Improvement Project - $500,000
-
Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration engineering and design - $200,000
-
Mud Mountain Dam Fish Passage Facility - $10 million
-
Bellingham Harbor - $30,000
-
Grays Harbor - $4,255,000
-
Kenmore Navigation Channel - $600,000
-
Lake Washington Ship Canal - $13.1 million
-
Quillayute River - $2,025,000
-
Seattle Harbor - $2,226,000
-
Swinomish Channel - $890,000
-
Tacoma Harbor - $2,195,000
-
Willapa River and Harbor - $290,000
On March 23, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, Public Law 115-141, of which Division D is the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (the Act) for FY 2018. The Act provides $6.827 billion in FY 2018 appropriations for the Army Civil Works program, of which $6.402 billion is appropriated in five accounts: Investigations; Construction; Operation and Maintenance; Mississippi River and Tributaries; and Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).
The Act’s accompanying Statement of Managers report allocates approximately $4.630 billion of the total for these five accounts to specific programs, projects and activities (PPA). USACE is responsible for allocating the remainder in these accounts, approximately $1.772 billion, to specific PPAs, consistent with the categories, subcategories, and other direction provided in the Statement of Managers. The allocation of these additional funds is presented in the work plan where Seattle District’s additional $37.5 million was provided.
The remaining $425 million in the FY 2018 Civil Works appropriations provides funding for USACE in the Expenses, Regulatory, Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies (FCCE), and Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works accounts.
“The Army’s Civil Works FY 2018 work plan provides funding to start, continue, and complete studies and construction projects that will get dirt moving to better the lives of Americans, their infrastructure, economy and environment," said The Honorable R. D. James, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.
For the first time, the work plan provides funds for two projects where the local sponsor could use Section 1043 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 to complete project construction. This section authorizes USACE to provide its share of a project’s construction cost directly to a non-federal sponsor who is able to assume responsibility for construction of a USACE project.
The Army Civil Works budget funds the planning, design, construction, and operation and maintenance of water resources projects, with a focus on the highest performing work within the three main Civil Works mission areas: commercial navigation, flood and storm damage reduction, and aquatic ecosystem restoration. It also funds programs that contribute to the protection of the nation’s waters and wetlands; the generation of low-cost renewable hydropower; the restoration of certain sites contaminated as a result of the nation’s early atomic weapons development program; and emergency preparedness and training to respond to natural disasters.
The nearly $1.772 billion in additional funding not allocated to specified projects in the five appropriations by the Statement of Managers is subdivided into numerous categories and subcategories within these broad areas:
Work eligible for consideration for the additional funding generally includes projects, programs and activities funded in the three previous fiscal years, with emphasis on ongoing work on projects, programs and activities that can attain a significant milestone or produce significant outputs in FY 2018.
The work plan identifies which projects, programs, and activities within the Civil Works program will receive the FY 2018 funding, how much each will receive, and includes amounts that the Army allocated earlier this fiscal year under continuing resolutions. With the total funding for this fiscal year, the work plan funds to completion 39 feasibility studies, four projects in the Preconstruction Engineering and Design phase, and 13 construction projects or elements of projects.
Funded for completion in FY 2018 were: 39 feasibility studies; four engineering and design projects - including the Skokomish River Basin; and 13 construction projects.
Public Law 115-141 requires USACE to fund six new studies in the Investigations account, one new study in the Mississippi River and Tributaries account, and five new starts in the Construction account. The Army selected seven previously unfunded studies and five previously unfunded construction projects based on performance and on considerations provided in the Statement of Managers.
The Statement of Managers stipulates that of the six new studies funded in the Investigations account, two shall be navigation studies, one shall be a flood risk management study, one shall be an environmental restoration study, and two can be either a navigation or flood risk management study. Of the six selected studies, one is part of the Seattle District, Tacoma Harbor (Navigation).
The Statement of Managers requires an additional new study funded in the Mississippi River and Tributaries account to evaluate the need for improvements for flood control, ecosystem restoration, water quality and related purposes associated with storm water runoff and management.
The Statement of Managers also stipulates that of the five Construction new starts, one shall be navigation, one shall be flood risk management, one shall be for beach nourishment, one shall
be environmental restoration, and the remaining one shall be either navigation or flood risk management. None of the five selected projects are with the Seattle District.
The work plan listing the amounts provided to various programs, projects and activities for each of the five appropriations accounts can be found at: http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Budget.aspx.
The Statement of Managers (Congressional Record, March 22, 2018, page H2435 et seq.) can be found at https://www.congress.gov/crec/2018/03/22/CREC-2018-03-22-bk2.pdf.