The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Sept. 17 held a hearing titled, “Oversight of the US Army Corps of Engineers.”
Witnesses at the hearing were Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the United States Army for Civil Works and Lt. Gen. William Graham Jr., Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps).
The hearing largely covered hydropower, flood risk management, navigation improvement, and ecosystem restoration activities by the Corps.
Witnesses and senators covered the implementation of past Water Resources Development Acts (WRDAs) and delays by the Corps in completing directives from these laws. Both witnesses committed to working expeditiously to release studies directed by past WRDAs.
The witnesses and senators also addressed workforce shortages at the Corps and cost overruns at Corps projects, with the witnesses committing to working with their staff to address cost overruns.
On the topic of hydropower, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) noted that the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (Public Law No: 117-263) required a report on the deauthorization of hydropower in the Willamette Valley System.
He said that report has been completed but not released, and asked which agency is currently working on it.
Telle said he is committed to following the law and completing that report, but it may take longer than they would like. He said he is unsure which office is currently reviewing it, but it is important that the entire executive branch can weigh in.
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) said that when river levels dropped at the Gavins Point Dam in 2023, two power station facilities in Salix, Iowa, were unable to generate power during extremely cold weather.
He asked Telle if he would commit to prioritizing energy reliability when setting water release levels at Gavins Point Dam. Telle said yes, and the Corps must balance all interests along the Missouri River, including flood risk mitigation, navigation, and energy production.
Meanwhile, EPW Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said that many provisions of past WRDAs have gone unimplemented, noting that Sec. 1102 of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (Public Law No: 118-272) requires that the Corps submit a plan to Congress on the implementation of past WRDAs while also identifying provisions of those laws that will require implementation guidance.
She asked Telle when Congress can expect that report. Telle said he is committed to following the law, and his office was working to determine which provisions require implementation guidance.
He said he is open to working with Capito to identify provisions that his office can address without triggering a larger interagency process.
