WEBVTT

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OK folks , this , this hearing of the

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Energy and Water Development

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Subcommittee will come to order .

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Um , Well , I'm thinking about what I'm

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gonna say because I don't know . I've

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got a lot on my mind . I'm gonna ask

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the ranking member member who's

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generally better organized than I am

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and she's here and the , the vice

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chairman of the entire committee , to ,

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uh . To hold forth . Well , thank you .

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Thank you very much , Mr . Chairman .

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Uh , and thank you to all of our

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witnesses for being here today because

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your agencies really do critical work

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to support our economies and our

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families back home . And if we neglect

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those investments , it puts our

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communities and our nation in serious

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danger from threats like droughts and

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floods and power outages and a lot more .

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Just looking at the Howard Hansen Dam

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in my state last year during historic

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flooding , it stored record amounts of

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water , stopping about 5 ft of . Uh ,

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flooding in Auburn and protected

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communities in Kent , Renton , Tequila ,

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and elsewhere . When the Green River

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levee breached on December 15th , the

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Corps was there to reduce the dam flows

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within hours and deployed personnel and

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resources alongside our King County

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crews and managed the careful return to

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normal operations . That is exactly the

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kind of rapid , coordinated technical

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response that only the Corps can

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provide . But Trump wants to slash

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funding for the Corps in this budget

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and zero out funding for work on Howard

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Hansen . Now , fortunately , in our

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last funding bill , Chair Kennedy and I

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worked together to reject those cuts

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and others and made strong investments

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in the Army Corps and the Bureau of

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Reclamation . Howard Hansen got the

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funding it needed to keep moving

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forward , as did the Yakima Bay . An

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integrated plan , which is really

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crucial to securing reliable water

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access for a lot of our farmers and our

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communities in my state . But we've got

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a lot more work to do on those projects

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and others , and unfort unfortunately ,

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we now have more cuts to reject .

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Because this budget shows Trump didn't

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learn his lesson , he has proposed

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reckless cuts all so he can blow an

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extra $0.5 trillion or more . His

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budget would slash the Bureau of Rec by

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5% , 5% , and that's without

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considering the fact that the

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infrastructure cliff , uh we are

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barreling . Towards this fall . Over

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the past 5 years , funding from that

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bipartisan infrastructure law provided

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nearly half of all reclamation funding ,

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and that well is drying up . And if we

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don't act , crucial water resources

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will dry up next , along with funding

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for a lot more , so much else .

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Meanwhile , Trump's budget would also

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slash funding for the Army Corps by

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more than 1/3 . The construction

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account would get chopped almost in

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half . We're talking about an enormous

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backlog of Army Corps projects ,

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deferred construction , critical

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repairs that these cuts would abandon ,

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work we cannot delay without rolling

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the dice and leaving communities facing

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unacceptable risks , deadly floods ,

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harsh . Droughts , and that is not

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hypothetical . This is the 4th year in

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a row we've had a drought in Washington

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state , and we are not alone . The

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Colorado River Basin is 26 years into a

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mega drought and maybe and just maybe

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having its worst year on record right

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now . In Texas , Corpus Christi is

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staring down a full on water crisis ,

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and this is not the time to slash water

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projects . In addition to the threat of

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Trump's proposed cuts , the Army Corps

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has been rocked by Trump's staffing

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cuts . He has decimated the Corps

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workforce , a 12% loss since 2024 , and

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meanwhile , uh , hiring has been frozen .

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You , you just can't keep up , let

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alone accelerate projects , while

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sending engineers and project managers

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packing . And if funding cuts and

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staffing shortages weren't bad enough ,

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there's also the rampant blatant

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political sabotage . After zeroing out

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funding for blue states like mine last

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May , the Trump administration paused

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over $11 billion for Army Corps

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projects in blue states and cities in

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October . Communities . Got frozen out

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simply because of who they voted for

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and incredibly we have yet to receive

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any comm communication on whether those

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projects are going to now be moving

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forward . We need transparency and we

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need basic fairness , but we're all

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getting all we're getting right now is

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a runaround from all of you in the

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Pentagon . And I have to mention the

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Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund . Trump

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wants to shortchange that fund by over

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$1.8 billion and shortchange donor

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and energy transfer ports like we have

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in Washington State . So , I want you

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all to know I'm gonna make sure we do

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fully fund the Harbor Maintenance Trust

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Fund and make sure that states like

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mine get their fair share . That goes

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for the rest of the budget too . We

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cannot let Trump open the floodgates

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for defense contractors while our

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families and our farmers barely get

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anything . I will not let him zero out

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projects like the Howard Hansen Dam

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that is so critical to keep keeping

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people safe . Instead , I hope we toss

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Trump's budget in the trash can where

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it belongs and then work in this

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committee in a bipartisan way to write

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a bill that addresses . these critical

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challenges and helps our families back

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home . And by the way , that does need

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to include addressing the

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infrastructure cliff that's fast

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approaching when the bipartisan

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infrastructure law expires very fast

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coming up this fall . So with that ,

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I'll turn it back over to you . Thank

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you , Senator . Um , Madam Secretary ,

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Mr . Secretary General , I think it'd

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be fair to say that , uh ,

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Um , that I've been very supportive of

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the core . And I understand .

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Uh What you go through , you , you

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serve . You served

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many masters . Um ,

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I'll be blunt , I know this isn't your

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budget . Uh , it was crafted for you to

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a large extent . I get that . Um ,

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nothing unusual or wrong about that .

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Uh , most presidents , uh , put

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together a budget and they do it with

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the OMB as a quarterback and . Uh ,

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Obviously you have input , but you

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don't have the final say , and then the

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budgets come to us . And , uh , we , we

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hardly ever , never , to my , in , in

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my judgment or , or to my memory , have

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just adopted what a presidential budget

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has suggested . So I , I get all that .

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Nonetheless , what , what is in your

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budget is , it's not dispositive , but

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it's , it's . It's persuasive . I mean ,

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it tells us what the president's

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priorities are . Um , I wanna talk

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about a number of things today . I

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wanna talk about and maybe in answering

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questions , you can , you can , uh ,

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include , um , what's on my mind in

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your answers , but we , we've got to do

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something about cost overruns . We've

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just got to , folks . We've got to do

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better . Uh , number 2 , I know you're

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gonna want to talk because I've talked

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to the secretary about this . You've

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got a new idea on district salaries and

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expenses . You want to talk about that .

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Uh , I want to talk as well about uh .

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What Senator Murray talked about the

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harbor Maintenance Trust Fund . Now ,

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now , folks , people pay taxes . The ,

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the , the , the harbor maintenance

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Trust fund , um , contains money that ,

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that , that people pay directly . To

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use our ports and it's supposed to be .

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There to help our ports and help with

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draining , drainage , and I get that ,

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that it helps to take some of that

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money to spend in other parts of the

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budget and if we were pursuing a

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balanced budget , I might could live

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with that , but we , we , we , we don't

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have a balanced budget . And so ,

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instead of trying to take money out of

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the harbor maintenance trust fund to

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balance the budget , you're not doing

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that . You're taking money out of the

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harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to spend

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on something else . And , and we , we ,

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we need to have a prayer session about

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that . Um ,

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I've got some questions , but I'm gonna

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save them . Um , why don't , why don't

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we move to your statements , um .

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If you have a written text , I

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appreciate that , but try to read it

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fast . I'd rather you just talk to us ,

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OK , rather than read a written

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statement , but that's up to you . Uh ,

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Madam Secretary , I'll start with you .

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Great . Good good afternoon . Uh ,

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thank you , Chairman Kennedy , Ranking

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Member Murray , and members of the

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subcommittee . I'll probably just read

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a little bit and then highlight some

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things , um , but thanks for the

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opportunity to testify in support of

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President Trump's fiscal year 2027

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budget request for the Bureau of

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Reclamation in the Central Utah Project

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and discuss the president's vision to

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make America safer , stronger , and

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more prosperous through the delivery of

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water and power . Uh , of course , as

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you've mentioned , Bureau of

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Reclamation manages and delivers water

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for agriculture , municipal and

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industrial uses , supports flood

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control and recreation , and produces

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higher power across the Western United

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States . Uh , reclamation projects and

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programs serve as the backbone of the

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West's water and power infrastructure

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and a driver of economic activity

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across hundreds of river basins .

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Reclamation activities support economic

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output valued at approximately 34.1

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billion annually and sustained more

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than 450,000 jobs . Um , so as it

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relates to what we're looking for , for

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the FY 27 reclamation request is $1.2

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billion in gross discretionary

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appropriations of this total , $1.1

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billion is requested for the water and

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related resource account , 6 , uh , 64

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million for the policy and

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administration account , and $32

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million for the California Bay Delta

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account . The request also includes

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66.9 million in the Central Valley

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Project Restoration fund . Uh , in

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addition , as we're looking at CUCA ,

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uh , the FY 2027 budget requests 17

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million for the Central Utah Project

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Completion Act , uh , really focused on

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construction of the Utah Lake drainage

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basin and delivery system , which is

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the final component of the project ,

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and , and the funding supports

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construction of the Spanish Fork

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pipeline and design of the Mona

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pipeline . Uh , I also want to

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highlight with the FOYI 2027 budget and

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the reclamation continues to utilize

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those existing resources , uh , to

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support its water supply management and

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conservation activities . Uh , in

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addition , we had the One Big Beautiful

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Bill Act , which was signed into law by

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President Trump that provided a billion

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dollars to reclamation for construction

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of water storage . And conveyance

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facilities . Uh , and to date ,

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reclamation has allocated 889 million

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of that , uh , to support modernizing

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Western water infrastructure and

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improving storage capacity , uh , which

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includes 540 million for California ,

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$100 million in Utah , 30 million for

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Idaho , uh , and also looking at

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storage opportunities with , with Lake

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Shasta , uh , and at the same time ,

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some projects in South Dakota and North

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Dakota . Uh , also , we're very focused

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on Colorado River and , and the drought .

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Uh , so looking for , continue to look

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for those conservation activities and

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trying to make sure that we protect

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Lake Mead and Lake Powell . Uh , so

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with that , we continue to work on

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applying , uh , funding towards

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infrastructure projects that address

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the deferred maintenance , improve

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water delivery reliability , enhance

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dam safety , and strengthen system

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performance . Uh , so we've been

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working on hundreds of projects

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nationwide and implementing and

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establishing the program authorities .

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Uh , so with that , thank you for the

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opportunity to speak on President's FY

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2027 budget requests for the Department

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of the Interior and CUPCA . I look

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forward to the questions today . Thank

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you , Mr . Secretary . Chairman Kennedy ,

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Vice Chair Murray , uh , I'm here today

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to talk about the president's FY 27

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Army Civil Works budget . Uh , this

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budget is focused on our core missions

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and if you ask yourself what are the

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core missions of the Corps of Engineers ,

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we think of it in three ways . Uh , we

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enable commercial navigation . Uh , we

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protect Americans from flood risk and

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we restore aquatic ecosystems . I'll

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hit on a couple of those . Sir , if you

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think about waterborne commerce ,

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Something that's important to both of

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your states . This is the most

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efficient form of transportation that

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humanity has ever devised . And if we

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don't build , operate and maintain that

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system , We can't compete globally You

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think about flood risk The Corps of

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Engineers builds , operates , and

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maintains world-class flood risk

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reduction infrastructure . Uh , it's

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something that the Corps of Engineers

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has done well throughout most of its

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history and at times has come up short .

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This budget focuses on that . We can't

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compete globally if we're underwater .

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And just to highlight a couple of

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projects that are included in this

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budget , the big ones . Under the

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category of navigation , the budget

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includes $133.76 million for the

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completion of a new Montgomery Lock

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near Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania on the

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Ohio River . It includes $931 million

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for flood risk , including $420 million

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for Prado Dam in California , which is

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our most at-risk dam across our

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inventory . Uh , the budget also

13:31.700 --> 13:33.589
includes $410 million for aquatic

13:33.589 --> 13:35.533
ecosystem restoration , which is a

13:35.533 --> 13:37.799
sufficient amount , uh , to totally

13:37.799 --> 13:40.030
restore the Everglades in Florida ,

13:40.250 --> 13:42.417
five years ahead of schedule . Tell me

13:42.417 --> 13:44.940
about that Everglades again . There's

13:44.940 --> 13:47.210
sufficient funding in the budget to

13:47.590 --> 13:49.534
stay on track to fully restore the

13:49.534 --> 13:51.690
Everglades . Uh , 5 years ahead of ,

13:51.890 --> 13:54.229
ahead of schedule . This is one of the ,

13:54.320 --> 13:56.153
uh , the biggest projects that's

13:56.153 --> 13:58.042
happening in the United States of

13:58.042 --> 14:00.153
America right now new money that this

14:00.153 --> 14:02.153
new money that's requested and it's

14:02.153 --> 14:01.359
gonna be in addition to other money

14:01.359 --> 14:03.750
that's been provided and of course

14:03.750 --> 14:05.960
future , uh , needs that we will come

14:05.960 --> 14:08.071
to you in future fiscal years about ,

14:08.071 --> 14:10.182
right ? OK , sorry to interrupt . Yes

14:10.182 --> 14:11.793
sir , no problem . Um , most

14:11.793 --> 14:13.738
importantly , and Chairman Kennedy

14:13.738 --> 14:15.904
mentioned this , the budget includes a

14:15.904 --> 14:18.016
new way , uh , uh , to , to delineate

14:18.016 --> 14:20.127
how we budget for district salaries .

14:20.127 --> 14:19.460
If you think about the Corps of

14:19.460 --> 14:21.404
Engineers , we have 39 civil works

14:21.404 --> 14:23.460
districts across the country . These

14:23.460 --> 14:25.682
are our , unlike most agencies , 98% of

14:25.682 --> 14:27.904
our workforce is outside the Beltway in

14:27.904 --> 14:30.238
these districts , in all of your states .

14:30.238 --> 14:32.016
And the way that the , that you

14:32.016 --> 14:34.071
appropriate , the way that we budget

14:34.071 --> 14:35.960
currently includes within project

14:35.960 --> 14:38.182
amounts that you appropriate , about 33

14:38.182 --> 14:40.182
cents on the dollar goes to pay the

14:40.182 --> 14:42.127
salaries of the employees in those

14:42.127 --> 14:44.349
districts . Those are great employees .

14:44.349 --> 14:43.619
We need them . Uh , they're doing

14:43.619 --> 14:46.299
amazing work , but this budget seeks to

14:46.299 --> 14:48.077
separate out those salaries and

14:48.077 --> 14:50.299
expenses from the project costs for two

14:50.299 --> 14:51.910
reasons . One , it increases

14:51.910 --> 14:53.966
transparency . You need to know what

14:53.966 --> 14:56.021
you're buying . When you appropriate

14:56.021 --> 14:58.243
money for a project , uh , in my view ,

14:58.243 --> 15:00.466
we can all make better decisions , uh ,

15:00.466 --> 15:02.410
if we know what's underneath those

15:02.410 --> 15:04.355
numbers . And the second reason is

15:04.355 --> 15:06.577
incentives . I had a district commander

15:06.577 --> 15:08.688
come to me early on and say , Sir , I

15:08.688 --> 15:10.632
like what you're doing here . As a

15:10.632 --> 15:12.855
district commander , I'm torn every day

15:12.855 --> 15:14.966
between delivering infrastructure . I

15:14.966 --> 15:14.500
meet with my infrastructure delivery

15:14.500 --> 15:16.444
team on Monday , and we're excited

15:16.444 --> 15:18.611
about delivery . And on Tuesday , uh ,

15:18.611 --> 15:20.722
I , I meet with my , my resource team

15:20.722 --> 15:23.210
and my HR team , and we say , sir , the

15:23.210 --> 15:25.432
project that we thought was going to be

15:25.432 --> 15:25.119
completed this year is actually

15:25.119 --> 15:27.230
extending into next year . This fills

15:27.230 --> 15:29.341
our district's budget hole . And that

15:29.341 --> 15:31.452
commander told me , I'm not so mad on

15:31.452 --> 15:33.341
Tuesday that that project's being

15:33.341 --> 15:35.452
extended . I'm not as mad as I should

15:35.452 --> 15:37.397
be . This budget fixes that . This

15:37.397 --> 15:39.230
takes our commanders out of that

15:39.230 --> 15:40.730
tension between delivering

15:40.730 --> 15:42.786
infrastructure and maintaining their

15:42.786 --> 15:45.008
district . Delivering infrastructure is

15:45.008 --> 15:44.849
what this is about . This budget fixes

15:44.849 --> 15:47.127
is part of our building infrastructure ,

15:47.127 --> 15:49.238
not paperwork initiative , a 28 point

15:49.238 --> 15:51.405
plan we unveiled in February . This is

15:51.405 --> 15:53.460
a key part of it . And so my request

15:53.460 --> 15:55.460
today is that the subcommittee will

15:55.460 --> 15:57.571
join us in that effort . Uh , I thank

15:57.571 --> 15:56.440
you for your time and look forward to

15:56.440 --> 15:58.869
your questions . Well , we'll talk

15:58.869 --> 16:01.091
about it in a second . It's hard for me

16:01.091 --> 16:03.036
to believe , Mr . Secretary , that

16:05.130 --> 16:07.241
And an accounting measure is going to

16:07.241 --> 16:09.463
solve our problems at the core , but we

16:09.463 --> 16:12.179
can talk about it , general . Chairman

16:12.179 --> 16:14.290
Kennedy , Grandman Murray , thank you

16:14.290 --> 16:16.623
for the opportunity to talk today , and ,

16:16.623 --> 16:18.679
and I'll just have a discussion with

16:18.679 --> 16:20.957
you for the time I've got . First , uh ,

16:20.957 --> 16:20.500
Senator Murray , thanks for

16:20.500 --> 16:22.667
highlighting Howard A . Hanson Dam . I

16:22.667 --> 16:24.722
was out there right after , um , the

16:24.722 --> 16:26.833
water managers and Colonel Sanbon and

16:26.833 --> 16:28.833
her team did an amazing job working

16:28.833 --> 16:30.889
hand in hand with the state and King

16:30.889 --> 16:33.000
County to manage the floods coming in

16:33.000 --> 16:35.167
the , the southern part of the city of

16:35.167 --> 16:37.278
Seattle . Um , record pools , uh , on

16:37.278 --> 16:39.278
the Green River , tremendous work .

16:39.284 --> 16:41.395
What Colonel Sanborn and her team are

16:41.395 --> 16:43.284
doing right now , which I want to

16:43.284 --> 16:45.340
highlight , is working to repair all

16:45.340 --> 16:45.125
those levees before the next

16:45.125 --> 16:48.005
atmospheric rivers hit . So really um

16:48.005 --> 16:50.172
proud of that team out there for using

16:50.172 --> 16:51.949
the funds that this committee's

16:51.949 --> 16:54.205
provided in FCC&E to get those levees

16:54.205 --> 16:56.316
repaired as fast as possible with our

16:56.316 --> 16:58.483
state and our local partners . Senator

16:58.483 --> 17:01.090
Kennedy , turning to the costs . Um ,

17:01.169 --> 17:03.002
when I was last in front of this

17:03.002 --> 17:05.113
committee , we absolutely acknowledge

17:05.113 --> 17:07.520
that we've got to improve our delivery ,

17:07.650 --> 17:09.983
and that starts with three basic things .

17:09.983 --> 17:12.094
First and foremost , we've got to get

17:12.094 --> 17:12.089
the engineering right . We gotta do

17:12.089 --> 17:14.689
that before we ask the authorizing

17:14.689 --> 17:16.800
committees to authorize a project and

17:16.800 --> 17:18.578
before we ask this committee to

17:18.578 --> 17:20.745
appropriate funds for that . We've too

17:20.745 --> 17:23.015
often come in and said , hey , this is

17:23.194 --> 17:25.472
the , how much this project would cost ,

17:25.472 --> 17:27.638
and we really didn't have that project

17:27.638 --> 17:29.805
well defined . And I'll put it , hey ,

17:30.114 --> 17:32.225
Congress , we need to build a house ,

17:32.225 --> 17:34.854
as an , you know , as an example , when

17:34.854 --> 17:37.076
we should have advanced the engineering

17:37.076 --> 17:39.298
to say we need a 4-bedroom house with a

17:39.298 --> 17:41.465
2-car garage on a quarter acre plot of

17:41.465 --> 17:43.687
land that has drainage issues . We have

17:43.687 --> 17:45.709
not done that . And so that is our

17:45.709 --> 17:47.931
commitment to you that we're , I am not

17:47.931 --> 17:50.153
going to sign any chief's report unless

17:50.153 --> 17:52.376
we have advanced the engineering to the

17:52.376 --> 17:54.598
point where we actually know what we're

17:54.598 --> 17:56.709
asking Congress to authorize and

17:56.709 --> 17:58.765
appropriate for . Second thing we've

17:58.765 --> 18:01.150
got to do is we've got to get the

18:01.150 --> 18:03.150
project management right . And what

18:03.150 --> 18:05.310
that is , is putting good realistic

18:05.310 --> 18:07.421
schedules together where we could use

18:07.421 --> 18:09.477
help is stable , predictable funding

18:09.477 --> 18:11.588
allows us to most efficiently deliver

18:11.588 --> 18:13.699
these projects . And it is one of our

18:13.699 --> 18:15.754
priorities to finish what we start ,

18:15.754 --> 18:18.088
and , and that is our commitment to you .

18:18.088 --> 18:20.199
The third thing we have to do is make

18:20.199 --> 18:22.254
sure we get the team right . We've ,

18:22.254 --> 18:21.969
the secretary has granted us almost

18:21.969 --> 18:25.329
3000 , um , ability to hire 3000 new

18:25.329 --> 18:27.273
folks , and we've got about 2/3 of

18:27.273 --> 18:29.273
those on board right now to include

18:29.273 --> 18:32.130
1000 folks that aren't just moving a

18:32.130 --> 18:34.186
low ranking person to a high ranking

18:34.186 --> 18:36.449
position , but it is actually bringing

18:36.449 --> 18:39.150
in external hires , talent from . Um ,

18:39.189 --> 18:42.030
the civilian workforce , so that's our

18:42.030 --> 18:44.229
commitment to you is doing everything

18:44.229 --> 18:46.340
we can to get the engineering right ,

18:46.340 --> 18:48.507
get the project management right , and

18:48.507 --> 18:50.562
get the team right , and I thank you

18:50.562 --> 18:50.229
and look forward to answering your

18:50.229 --> 18:51.229
questions .

18:55.109 --> 18:57.387
All right , generally , uh , thank you ,

18:57.387 --> 18:59.609
thank you , uh , lady and gentlemen . I

18:59.609 --> 19:01.331
usually , I'm , I , I reserved

19:01.331 --> 19:03.609
questions and I am most of my time . I ,

19:03.609 --> 19:07.089
I just got one right quick . Um

19:10.140 --> 19:14.069
Secretary Kell You , you just

19:14.069 --> 19:18.050
moved . $1.4 billion out

19:18.050 --> 19:20.729
of other funds out of other projects .

19:22.619 --> 19:25.630
To the Everglades . Who told you to do

19:25.630 --> 19:28.689
that ? Jeremy Kenny , thank you for the

19:28.689 --> 19:31.189
question . The law that included that

19:31.369 --> 19:33.258
from , for which those funds were

19:33.258 --> 19:36.130
derived gave the army the flexibility

19:36.130 --> 19:38.463
to reallocate funds , and in many cases ,

19:38.463 --> 19:41.050
those these projects were appropriated .

19:41.630 --> 19:44.530
Who told you to do that ? The law gives

19:44.530 --> 19:46.641
gave us flexibility to . You did that

19:46.641 --> 19:48.752
on your own . That's your testimony .

19:48.752 --> 19:50.974
We followed the notification procedures

19:50.974 --> 19:50.890
that were required under that law .

19:51.010 --> 19:53.640
Yeah , but you did , you , you made

19:53.640 --> 19:56.089
that decision . Yes sir , I did , and

19:56.089 --> 19:59.150
nobody told you to do it . No sir . OK .

19:59.449 --> 20:01.560
Where'd you get that 1.4 ? And you're

20:01.560 --> 20:03.810
asking for more money now for the

20:03.810 --> 20:05.810
Everglades , is that right ? Well ,

20:05.810 --> 20:08.032
Senator , there's $46 billion . Are you

20:08.032 --> 20:09.810
asking for more money now ? The

20:09.810 --> 20:11.670
president's budget includes $446

20:11.670 --> 20:13.781
million for wage restoration . That's

20:13.781 --> 20:16.780
correct , sir . In addition to the $1.4

20:16.780 --> 20:19.002
billion that you just took out of other

20:19.002 --> 20:21.224
projects . Yes , sir , that's correct .

20:21.224 --> 20:23.339
You , what projects did you take that

20:23.339 --> 20:26.400
$1.4 billion for the Everglades out of ,

20:26.599 --> 20:28.655
Senator ? I'd have to get it back to

20:28.655 --> 20:30.988
you on the sources . You don't remember .

20:30.988 --> 20:33.210
There , there's multiple . It's , there

20:33.210 --> 20:32.845
are multiple sources , but Yeah ,

20:33.135 --> 20:35.595
sources were which ones they were from

20:35.595 --> 20:38.186
past , uh , uh , past acts like the

20:38.676 --> 20:40.787
Infrastructure and Job Creation Act ,

20:40.787 --> 20:42.916
the BBA 18 , and DURSA . You took it

20:42.916 --> 20:44.885
out of the West Shore project in

20:44.885 --> 20:47.163
Louisiana , didn't you ? No , no , sir .

20:47.326 --> 20:48.882
You took it out of the Lake

20:48.882 --> 20:50.937
Pontchartrain project in Louisiana ,

20:50.937 --> 20:52.937
didn't you ? No , sir . That , that

20:52.937 --> 20:55.048
project is underway . You took it out

20:55.048 --> 20:57.048
of the Coeat Project in Louisiana ,

20:57.048 --> 20:56.965
didn't you ? No , sir , I did not . You

20:56.965 --> 20:59.132
took it out of a project in East Baton

20:59.132 --> 21:01.298
Rouge Parish , didn't you ? No , sir .

21:01.298 --> 21:03.632
How about the Grand Is Project ? No sir .

21:03.632 --> 21:05.743
You're telling me you didn't take any

21:05.743 --> 21:07.521
money out of these at anybody's

21:07.521 --> 21:09.687
instruction to spend on the Everglades

21:09.791 --> 21:11.680
while you're asking for even more

21:11.680 --> 21:13.631
Everglade Everglades money in the

21:13.631 --> 21:15.853
current budget , Senator . The projects

21:15.853 --> 21:17.964
that you just listed in Louisiana are

21:17.964 --> 21:20.298
all on track . Those are great projects .

21:20.298 --> 21:20.291
I've been working to , we've been

21:20.291 --> 21:22.235
working to deliver those . So your

21:22.235 --> 21:24.572
testimony is that you own your own .

21:24.671 --> 21:26.671
Nobody told you to do it . You took

21:26.671 --> 21:29.310
money . Out of these projects , but

21:29.310 --> 21:31.829
they're still on course to spend extra

21:31.829 --> 21:33.996
money in the Everglades . Is that your

21:33.996 --> 21:36.218
testimony , Mr . Secretary ? No , sir ,

21:36.229 --> 21:38.451
that is not my testimony . OK , tell me

21:38.451 --> 21:40.673
what your testimony is then . There are

21:40.673 --> 21:42.989
aged funds throughout the $46 billion

21:42.989 --> 21:45.211
total in aged funds , some of them more

21:45.211 --> 21:47.489
than 10 years old . This is a disgrace .

21:47.489 --> 21:49.378
I mean , we have $46 billion that

21:49.378 --> 21:51.378
Congress has provided to us that we

21:51.378 --> 21:51.329
haven't found the ability to execute .

21:51.979 --> 21:54.090
There are other projects that do have

21:54.090 --> 21:56.312
the ability to execute and when we have

21:56.312 --> 21:58.201
aged funds that can be applied to

21:58.201 --> 22:00.312
something that will , uh , save lives

22:00.312 --> 22:02.599
and protect critical ecosystem , uh ,

22:02.609 --> 22:04.720
restoration projects , uh , those are

22:04.720 --> 22:06.942
things that we , where we use that have

22:06.942 --> 22:09.109
been provided . I'm gonna come back to

22:09.109 --> 22:11.220
this , but I'm , I'm . You know , God

22:11.220 --> 22:13.276
gave me the right to remain silent ,

22:13.276 --> 22:16.250
but not the ability . You know , I , I .

22:19.430 --> 22:22.150
I have protected you in the corps .

22:24.869 --> 22:27.839
Every step of the of the way up here .

22:28.670 --> 22:30.739
I have , I have defended the core .

22:31.739 --> 22:34.349
When some of my colleagues wanted to

22:34.349 --> 22:38.030
dog cuss you and change you and , and

22:38.949 --> 22:42.390
I have defended you . But

22:44.079 --> 22:46.239
I don't , I don't understand this

22:46.239 --> 22:50.089
moving money to the Everglades . And

22:50.089 --> 22:51.978
we're gonna have to have a prayer

22:51.978 --> 22:54.089
session about that . You want to talk

22:54.089 --> 22:55.930
about how best to make the cops

22:55.930 --> 22:59.680
efficient . Tell us the

22:59.680 --> 23:03.650
truth . I don't believe you did

23:03.650 --> 23:06.920
this alone , Mr . Secretary . I think

23:06.920 --> 23:09.609
somebody told you to do it . Mr .

23:09.729 --> 23:11.729
Chairman , we'll be happy to wait a

23:11.729 --> 23:13.951
minute , Mr . Secretary , I'm talking .

23:13.951 --> 23:15.951
I wanna know who it was and I wanna

23:15.951 --> 23:17.840
know why you did it . And I don't

23:17.840 --> 23:19.840
believe you that , that this , this

23:19.840 --> 23:21.840
money didn't come out of somebody's

23:21.840 --> 23:23.969
hide . OK .

23:25.099 --> 23:28.339
Um You can't spit in my face and tell

23:28.339 --> 23:32.069
me it's raining . That's how I

23:32.069 --> 23:35.589
feel . Uh , those are my questions for

23:35.589 --> 23:38.989
now , but I have others . Um , Madam

23:38.989 --> 23:41.310
Vice Chair , do you have some ? I do .

23:41.430 --> 23:43.541
Thank you very much , Mr . Chairman .

23:43.541 --> 23:45.597
Um , Assistant Secretary , we talked

23:45.597 --> 23:47.430
about this recently , but I hear

23:47.430 --> 23:49.790
constantly from ports and harbors back

23:49.790 --> 23:51.957
home in Washington about how much they

23:51.957 --> 23:54.012
rely on the harbor Maintenance Trust

23:54.012 --> 23:56.068
Fund . And despite the importance of

23:56.068 --> 23:58.179
this funding , your budget request is

23:58.179 --> 24:00.179
just as insufficient as last year .

24:00.319 --> 24:02.208
Your proposal would mean a cut of

24:02.208 --> 24:05.390
nearly $2 billion from what we just

24:05.390 --> 24:07.520
enacted , and it would provide zero

24:07.520 --> 24:09.959
funding for donor and energy transfer

24:09.959 --> 24:12.070
ports . That is just not acceptable .

24:12.319 --> 24:14.486
Will you commit to us today that donor

24:14.486 --> 24:16.959
ports like Seattle and Tacoma will

24:16.959 --> 24:20.160
receive their full fair share of HMTF

24:20.160 --> 24:23.119
dollars as Congress intended for FY 26 ?

24:25.069 --> 24:27.236
Yes , ma'am . In , in fiscal year 26 ,

24:27.236 --> 24:29.458
the Energy and Water Appropriations Act

24:29.458 --> 24:32.849
provided what amounted to 13% , uh ,

24:32.920 --> 24:34.920
for those donor and energy transfer

24:34.920 --> 24:37.031
ports , and we are on track with that

24:37.031 --> 24:39.198
FY 26 funding . And you will commit to

24:39.198 --> 24:41.198
us that you will get that out as we

24:41.198 --> 24:43.420
intended , Senator . We will absolutely

24:43.420 --> 24:43.369
follow the law . OK , well , these ,

24:44.310 --> 24:46.588
these ports are a gateway to the world .

24:46.609 --> 24:48.729
Um , they are major economic engines

24:48.729 --> 24:50.951
for our state and for our country , and

24:50.951 --> 24:53.420
I will not sit by and watch my state

24:53.420 --> 24:55.642
get your change . No , we're watching .

24:55.989 --> 24:58.045
Assistant Secretary Travnick , thank

24:58.045 --> 25:00.211
you for being here . You know that the

25:00.211 --> 25:02.045
West is in the midst of a really

25:02.045 --> 25:04.660
historic drought . More than 70% of the

25:04.660 --> 25:07.199
West is currently experiencing drought

25:07.199 --> 25:09.088
conditions , and because of those

25:09.088 --> 25:11.255
serious challenges we are facing , the

25:11.255 --> 25:13.366
bipartisan infrastructure law and the

25:13.366 --> 25:15.588
inflation Reduction Act both provided .

25:15.640 --> 25:17.640
Billions in critical funding to the

25:17.640 --> 25:19.640
Bureau of Rec to help with projects

25:19.640 --> 25:22.329
like fixing aging canals and dams and

25:22.329 --> 25:24.051
building new water storage and

25:24.130 --> 25:25.908
improving water efficiency , so

25:25.908 --> 25:28.074
important , recycling , desalination ,

25:28.074 --> 25:30.074
helping our farmers and helping our

25:30.074 --> 25:32.130
rural communities . That funding has

25:32.130 --> 25:35.109
made a huge difference , but this

25:35.160 --> 25:37.216
administration has slowed down money

25:37.216 --> 25:39.890
getting out the door , and that needs

25:39.890 --> 25:42.001
to change . We are now staring down a

25:42.001 --> 25:45.984
cliff of 1.6 . $6 billion in

25:45.984 --> 25:48.265
funding each year for water projects

25:48.464 --> 25:50.631
when the bipartisan infrastructure law

25:50.631 --> 25:52.686
funding comes to an end this October

25:52.686 --> 25:55.084
and tens of billions more across key

25:55.535 --> 25:57.591
programs elsewhere , but your budget

25:57.724 --> 26:00.145
proposes nothing to address that

26:00.145 --> 26:02.385
massive shortfall . So I want to ask

26:02.385 --> 26:05.145
you today , is it this administration's

26:05.145 --> 26:07.505
view that we should make massive cuts

26:07.505 --> 26:09.672
to drought funding so we can have more

26:09.672 --> 26:11.783
money for defense contractors , which

26:11.783 --> 26:14.489
is how the budget appears to me . Uh ,

26:14.609 --> 26:16.887
thank you , Senator , for the question .

26:16.887 --> 26:19.053
As you mentioned , yes , we are seeing

26:19.053 --> 26:21.331
drought across the western states , um ,

26:21.331 --> 26:23.220
and we are working really hard to

26:23.220 --> 26:25.387
continue to get those previous dollars

26:25.387 --> 26:27.609
out the door . Uh , so as it relates to

26:27.609 --> 26:27.209
those aging infrastructure dollars ,

26:27.329 --> 26:29.385
they , they're , they're moving . We

26:29.385 --> 26:31.551
were able even to get some more moving

26:31.551 --> 26:33.662
this , this week . Uh , you mentioned

26:33.662 --> 26:35.607
to where we have the , the one big

26:35.607 --> 26:37.551
beautiful bill , uh , so for water

26:37.551 --> 26:39.607
storage , water conveyance , uh , so

26:39.607 --> 26:41.718
that is where we are , are focused on

26:41.718 --> 26:43.940
making sure that we are trying to get .

26:43.940 --> 26:45.996
Infrastructure dollars , uh , taking

26:45.996 --> 26:48.218
care of some of the , the projects that

26:48.218 --> 26:48.003
have been out there and then of course

26:48.003 --> 26:49.892
looking ahead with the , with the

26:49.892 --> 26:52.114
budget that we do have , trying to make

26:52.114 --> 26:54.447
sure that we're operating , maintaining ,

26:54.447 --> 26:53.562
and making sure that we're modernizing

26:53.562 --> 26:55.729
the infrastructure that we do have and

26:55.729 --> 26:57.895
then at the same time working with our

26:57.895 --> 27:00.062
various partners . So in order to make

27:00.062 --> 27:02.284
those dollars go farther , right ? It's

27:02.284 --> 27:02.072
working with the different partners ,

27:02.123 --> 27:04.179
the different states , the different

27:04.179 --> 27:06.234
districts , um , so . So it's , it's

27:06.234 --> 27:08.012
going to take all of us working

27:08.012 --> 27:07.855
together to make sure that we can , you

27:07.855 --> 27:10.077
know , work towards solving the drought

27:10.077 --> 27:12.188
the best we can . Well , just so this

27:12.188 --> 27:14.188
committee and everybody understands

27:14.188 --> 27:16.355
this funding , um , is a huge cliff in

27:16.355 --> 27:18.466
October , and that means drastic cuts

27:18.466 --> 27:20.522
to all of these programs that all of

27:20.522 --> 27:22.522
our states rely on , and we need to

27:22.522 --> 27:24.744
work within this committee to make sure

27:24.744 --> 27:26.911
we don't face a huge disaster with all

27:26.911 --> 27:28.966
of that . Assistant Secretary Tell ,

27:28.966 --> 27:31.244
let me go back to you . This committee .

27:31.859 --> 27:35.099
relies on timely factual information

27:35.099 --> 27:37.900
from the Army Corps districts to do our

27:37.900 --> 27:39.979
job . Uh , last October , the

27:39.979 --> 27:41.923
Department of Defense issued a gag

27:41.923 --> 27:43.812
order requiring all congressional

27:43.812 --> 27:46.219
communication to be routed through the

27:46.219 --> 27:48.330
legislative affairs at the Pentagon .

27:48.430 --> 27:51.530
We are now seeing major project

27:51.530 --> 27:53.419
decisions like the release of the

27:53.419 --> 27:55.829
updatedin plans or the transfer of

27:55.829 --> 27:57.989
projects announced before us , before

27:57.989 --> 28:00.211
Congress , and sometimes even our local

28:00.211 --> 28:02.949
partners are notified . I can't stress

28:02.949 --> 28:05.829
enough that our local partners are not

28:05.829 --> 28:08.030
mere spectators to this . They are our

28:08.030 --> 28:10.150
partners and they're major financial

28:10.150 --> 28:13.012
stakeholders in core . Projects and

28:13.012 --> 28:14.892
we're all aware of the blatantly

28:14.892 --> 28:16.922
political announcement made by OMB

28:16.922 --> 28:19.172
Director Russ Vogt during last fall's

28:19.172 --> 28:21.339
shutdown that the administration would

28:21.339 --> 28:24.812
pause or cancel $11 billion in

28:24.812 --> 28:27.172
essential core projects . That is why

28:27.172 --> 28:30.532
our FY 26 bill was very clear . The

28:30.532 --> 28:33.253
Corps has to execute funding as

28:33.253 --> 28:35.652
Congress intended . It can't terminate .

28:35.995 --> 28:38.475
Or pause or alter the scope of a

28:38.475 --> 28:40.916
project without prior written

28:40.916 --> 28:43.076
justification from this committee and

28:43.076 --> 28:45.298
as we talked about , I have heard about

28:45.298 --> 28:47.436
multiple instances where you have

28:47.436 --> 28:49.715
terminated studies including those

28:49.715 --> 28:51.715
funded with congressional direct uh

28:51.715 --> 28:53.796
directed spending without any prior

28:53.796 --> 28:56.036
notification . I want to ask you today

28:56.036 --> 28:58.196
why did you ignore the law and failed

28:58.196 --> 29:01.339
to notify Congress ? Vice Chair Murray ,

29:01.420 --> 29:03.364
thank you for the question . As we

29:03.364 --> 29:05.309
discussed in your office , uh , no

29:05.309 --> 29:07.309
projects , as you've described them

29:07.309 --> 29:09.476
have been terminated . There have been

29:09.476 --> 29:11.476
instances where district commanders

29:11.476 --> 29:13.642
have made recommendations up the chain

29:13.642 --> 29:15.864
to terminate projects that they believe

29:15.864 --> 29:18.087
are at a dead end . Uh , those projects

29:18.087 --> 29:17.760
have not reached General Graham's desk ,

29:17.930 --> 29:20.097
to my knowledge , they haven't reached

29:20.097 --> 29:22.152
my desk as we discussed . Uh , it is

29:22.152 --> 29:24.263
important for our districts commun to

29:24.263 --> 29:26.486
communicate with non-federal sponsors .

29:26.486 --> 29:28.597
There has been no terminations , um .

29:28.869 --> 29:31.430
That and in fact I would say that the

29:31.430 --> 29:33.349
letter that you referenced in our

29:33.349 --> 29:36.150
previous meeting is an example of why

29:36.150 --> 29:38.206
it's important for the left hand and

29:38.206 --> 29:40.372
the right hand to know what's going on

29:40.372 --> 29:42.594
in an organization . This is why it's ,

29:42.594 --> 29:42.229
well , I don't know whose left hand and

29:42.229 --> 29:44.340
right hand is , but I will submit for

29:44.340 --> 29:46.650
the record a list of terminated

29:47.109 --> 29:50.670
projects , and we wrote into our bill

29:50.670 --> 29:53.270
very specifically , uh , that we would

29:53.270 --> 29:56.109
be notified and we're not , so I will

29:56.109 --> 29:57.887
submit that for the record that

29:57.887 --> 30:00.829
objection . Um , and , and again ,

30:01.010 --> 30:03.121
Secretary Tell , as we discussed last

30:03.121 --> 30:05.177
week , Washington State has a lot of

30:05.177 --> 30:07.121
ongoing projects with the Army and

30:07.121 --> 30:09.288
Corps . We , uh , we , Howard Hanson ,

30:09.288 --> 30:11.177
we just talked about Ducka Bush ,

30:11.177 --> 30:13.343
deepening Seattle and Tacoma harbors .

30:13.343 --> 30:15.232
Those are just a few . So I can't

30:15.232 --> 30:17.343
underscore in strong enough terms how

30:17.343 --> 30:19.566
important these projects are , not just

30:19.566 --> 30:21.843
to my state , but to our entire nation .

30:21.843 --> 30:24.066
And um uh we talked about Howard Hanson

30:24.066 --> 30:26.399
Dam , and thank you for being out there .

30:26.399 --> 30:28.566
This is addressing dam safety issues .

30:28.566 --> 30:30.677
It's providing water supply . We need

30:30.677 --> 30:32.510
it for flooding before we have a

30:32.510 --> 30:34.732
complete disaster out there , and it is

30:34.732 --> 30:36.621
important for our critical salmon

30:36.621 --> 30:38.788
habitats . So many important reasons ,

30:38.788 --> 30:40.843
and I had to fight tooth and nail as

30:40.843 --> 30:43.121
the chairman will . Remember , um , uh ,

30:43.121 --> 30:45.343
and I appreciate your help , sir , um ,

30:45.343 --> 30:47.621
to get secure funding for that project ,

30:47.621 --> 30:49.843
about $500 million because that project

30:49.843 --> 30:52.275
was ripped out of the 25 budget . So

30:52.275 --> 30:54.497
I'm gonna ask you today , do you commit

30:54.497 --> 30:56.025
to execute every dollar of

30:56.025 --> 30:58.081
congressionally appropriated funding

30:58.785 --> 31:00.952
exactly as has been directed for those

31:00.952 --> 31:03.339
projects ? Yes , ma'am . We , uh ,

31:03.420 --> 31:05.420
executed the contract on the Howard

31:05.420 --> 31:07.642
Hanson Dam , uh , within the time frame

31:07.642 --> 31:09.642
that this committee provided in the

31:09.642 --> 31:11.753
Energy and Water Appropriations Act ,

31:11.753 --> 31:13.920
uh , for fiscal year 26 . Well , thank

31:13.920 --> 31:15.642
you . We will be watching very

31:15.642 --> 31:17.920
carefully to make sure that's followed .

31:17.920 --> 31:17.680
Thank you , Mr . Chairman . Yes , ma'am .

31:18.099 --> 31:20.420
Senator Hydede Smith . Thank you , Mr .

31:20.560 --> 31:22.727
Chairman , very much and welcome those

31:22.727 --> 31:24.838
of you willing to testify and take on

31:24.838 --> 31:26.838
this job , and it's good to see you

31:26.838 --> 31:29.004
there , Mr . Secretary . I can't think

31:29.004 --> 31:32.109
of anybody better to run the Army Corps

31:32.109 --> 31:34.331
Civil Works , and we've worked together

31:34.331 --> 31:36.331
a long time on many issues and uh I

31:36.331 --> 31:38.880
think you are fit for this position ,

31:39.069 --> 31:42.199
no doubt . I want to cover three topics

31:42.199 --> 31:45.339
today . First being the Yazoo backwater

31:45.719 --> 31:48.300
pumps that I've worked on for a long

31:48.300 --> 31:50.244
time and I know you're very , very

31:50.244 --> 31:52.300
familiar with that and then the Arca

31:52.300 --> 31:54.540
Butler Dam repairs it's very important

31:54.540 --> 31:56.707
that I know that you guys are familiar

31:56.707 --> 31:58.873
with and the building infrastructure ,

31:58.873 --> 32:02.239
not paperwork initiative that , uh , I

32:02.239 --> 32:04.400
want to talk about but Detective

32:04.400 --> 32:07.609
Secretary Tell and General Graham . The ,

32:07.650 --> 32:10.069
uh , I was just thrilled to see money

32:10.069 --> 32:12.479
in the budget for the funding for the

32:12.479 --> 32:14.569
actual construction of the Yazoo

32:14.569 --> 32:16.847
Backwater Area Project . You know , we ,

32:16.847 --> 32:19.013
uh , as ag commissioner in the state ,

32:19.369 --> 32:21.036
we had a half a million acres

32:21.036 --> 32:23.770
underwater for over 6 months that

32:23.770 --> 32:25.849
cannot be farmed , and it has been a

32:25.849 --> 32:28.849
major problem there . And I mean it is

32:28.849 --> 32:31.150
so vital to save lives , of public

32:31.150 --> 32:33.930
infrastructure . But the billions of

32:33.930 --> 32:36.510
dollars of agriculture losses because

32:36.510 --> 32:39.569
of these flooding issues that um for

32:39.569 --> 32:42.290
decades the taxpayers have been footing

32:42.290 --> 32:44.930
the bill through crop insurance and it

32:44.930 --> 32:46.986
was really good when it was good but

32:46.986 --> 32:49.410
boy it was really bad when it was bad ,

32:49.849 --> 32:51.960
but they've had to have the indemnity

32:51.960 --> 32:54.410
payments and several forms of disaster

32:54.410 --> 32:56.521
relief . I can think of so many times

32:56.521 --> 32:58.839
of driving through there during that

32:58.839 --> 33:02.449
flood . And uh people begging for so

33:02.449 --> 33:05.969
many months and years for help with

33:05.969 --> 33:09.609
that issue , but this um this project

33:09.609 --> 33:11.387
will give one of the most rural

33:11.810 --> 33:14.770
underserved areas of the country which

33:14.770 --> 33:17.609
has been devastated for years . This is

33:17.609 --> 33:19.890
gonna give that little community an

33:19.890 --> 33:22.880
opportunity to flourish . I've never

33:22.880 --> 33:25.680
understood how we got to , uh , the

33:25.680 --> 33:27.680
many years that it should have been

33:27.680 --> 33:29.902
done and had not been done . So you can

33:29.902 --> 33:32.013
imagine how excited I am that this is

33:32.013 --> 33:34.250
in the budget . But uh we've recently

33:34.250 --> 33:37.829
learned that the fiscal year 2027 total

33:38.089 --> 33:40.160
capability for this project has

33:40.160 --> 33:42.382
increased since the time the budget was

33:42.382 --> 33:44.329
prepared . So should Congress

33:44.329 --> 33:46.689
appropriate funding above the amount

33:46.689 --> 33:48.522
proposed in the budget , are you

33:48.522 --> 33:52.170
confident those additional funds can be

33:52.170 --> 33:54.569
put to good use , can be dispersed the

33:54.569 --> 33:57.209
way they should be , and make a major

33:57.209 --> 33:59.431
difference in the lives of all of those

33:59.431 --> 34:01.653
people down there in the South Delta in

34:01.653 --> 34:03.920
Mississippi ? Uh , Senator Hyde-Smith ,

34:03.979 --> 34:05.979
thank you for the question . You're

34:05.979 --> 34:07.979
absolutely right . This project was

34:07.979 --> 34:09.868
authorized in 1941 as part of the

34:09.868 --> 34:09.419
Mississippi River and tributary system .

34:09.959 --> 34:13.840
Uh , we're in . May of 2026 , we're in

34:13.840 --> 34:16.610
the 99th anniversary month of the great

34:16.610 --> 34:19.129
flood of 1927 and this project was in

34:19.129 --> 34:21.351
response to that event , which affected

34:21.351 --> 34:23.462
Mississippi and Louisiana and so many

34:23.462 --> 34:25.629
other places . Uh , to your question ,

34:25.629 --> 34:27.629
the president's budget includes $30

34:27.629 --> 34:29.629
million for this project . Uh , the

34:29.629 --> 34:31.851
technical assistance we provided to the

34:31.851 --> 34:33.851
committee indicates a capability of

34:33.851 --> 34:36.018
$100 million for this project . And in

34:36.018 --> 34:38.129
addition to that . I'm confident that

34:38.129 --> 34:40.240
the additional money included in that

34:40.240 --> 34:42.018
capability for mitigation , I'm

34:42.018 --> 34:41.340
confident that all the money could be

34:41.340 --> 34:43.459
obligated in fiscal year 27 . I'm

34:43.459 --> 34:45.459
confident that the additional money

34:45.459 --> 34:47.626
included in that amount for mitigation

34:47.626 --> 34:49.737
could be executed in fiscal year 27 .

34:49.737 --> 34:52.070
Uh , the additional money is for design ,

34:52.070 --> 34:51.939
and I'm less confident that that could

34:51.939 --> 34:53.883
be executed . All of that could be

34:53.883 --> 34:55.939
executed in F-527 , but certainly if

34:55.939 --> 34:57.939
additional funding is included , we

34:57.939 --> 34:59.828
will put it to good use . General

34:59.828 --> 35:01.883
Graham , do you have any comments on

35:01.883 --> 35:04.161
that ? Um , I absolutely agree with Mr .

35:04.161 --> 35:06.500
Tell . Um , the mitigation , banking ,

35:06.669 --> 35:08.780
additional funding , we can certainly

35:08.780 --> 35:10.780
put that to work , uh , in , in the

35:10.780 --> 35:12.891
year of appropriations , and we'll do

35:12.891 --> 35:14.891
our best to put the design money to

35:14.891 --> 35:17.002
work wisely . OK , and I still have a

35:17.002 --> 35:19.879
little time . The , uh , I was also

35:19.879 --> 35:22.320
very pleased to see that the robust

35:22.320 --> 35:24.431
funding for the Arkha Butler Lake and

35:24.431 --> 35:26.000
Dam , which supports

35:26.000 --> 35:29.679
57,200 acre flood control

35:29.679 --> 35:32.669
reservoir in North Mississippi , and in

35:32.669 --> 35:35.199
2023 , the structural issues , that's

35:35.199 --> 35:37.255
when they were detected in the dam ,

35:37.255 --> 35:39.800
putting at risk for severe potential

35:39.800 --> 35:42.550
failure at that time and now . But the

35:42.550 --> 35:44.717
results of a breach in a dam that size

35:44.717 --> 35:47.050
would obviously be catastrophic . Homes ,

35:48.429 --> 35:51.110
rural towns , and hundreds of thousands

35:51.110 --> 35:55.070
of acres downstream . So failure is

35:55.070 --> 35:58.669
not an option on that . Again , should

35:58.669 --> 36:01.469
Congress appropriate funding above the

36:01.469 --> 36:03.580
amount proposed , the budget for Arca

36:03.580 --> 36:06.639
Butler Dam repairs . Can you tell me

36:06.639 --> 36:08.750
how that would flow out , and are you

36:08.750 --> 36:11.590
confident that this could be handled to

36:11.590 --> 36:13.646
actually correct the problem that we

36:13.646 --> 36:15.812
have , Senator , you're correct . Arca

36:15.812 --> 36:18.034
Butler Dam , we , we rank the engineers

36:18.034 --> 36:20.146
of the Corps of Engineers rank all of

36:20.146 --> 36:22.090
the dams in our inventory based on

36:22.090 --> 36:24.201
their safety level and our concerns ,

36:24.201 --> 36:26.090
and Prado Dam . I mentioned in my

36:26.090 --> 36:28.312
opening statement in Los Angeles , uh ,

36:28.312 --> 36:30.479
area of California and Arca Butler Dam

36:30.479 --> 36:32.701
are #1 and 2 in terms of the dams we're

36:32.701 --> 36:32.260
looking at nationwide in terms of

36:32.510 --> 36:34.399
safety concerns . The president's

36:34.399 --> 36:36.732
budget reflects this , uh , as you , uh ,

36:36.840 --> 36:39.007
say , say , an additional capability ,

36:39.030 --> 36:41.086
uh , has been reflected in technical

36:41.086 --> 36:43.252
assistance provided to the committee .

36:43.252 --> 36:45.419
Um , The good news story here is I was

36:45.419 --> 36:47.474
briefed earlier this week about this

36:47.474 --> 36:49.474
project . We had been looking and I

36:49.474 --> 36:49.320
know your office had brought to our

36:49.320 --> 36:51.542
attention the idea that this might take

36:51.542 --> 36:53.550
10 years or longer . Um , as we are

36:53.919 --> 36:55.697
right now , it looks like we've

36:55.697 --> 36:57.252
actually are going to start

36:57.252 --> 36:59.475
construction in 2028 , and construction

36:59.475 --> 37:01.586
is gonna be complete within 5 years .

37:01.586 --> 37:01.439
So that's , uh , we're moving in the

37:01.439 --> 37:03.550
right direction on Archipela . It's a

37:03.550 --> 37:05.661
critically important facility . Thank

37:05.661 --> 37:07.717
you for your advocacy for it . Thank

37:07.717 --> 37:07.600
you , and I'm out of time . Thank you ,

37:07.649 --> 37:09.760
Mr . Chairman . Thank you , Senator .

37:09.760 --> 37:13.090
Senator Merkley . Uh , thank you very

37:13.090 --> 37:16.080
much , Mr . Chairman . And , uh ,

37:16.820 --> 37:18.876
because of the , the work you all do

37:18.876 --> 37:20.709
across the country , we all have

37:20.709 --> 37:22.876
projects in our various states we're ,

37:22.876 --> 37:24.987
we're concerned about , and this is a

37:24.987 --> 37:27.153
chance for us to follow up on them and

37:27.153 --> 37:28.931
ask for your help and Assistant

37:28.931 --> 37:32.600
Secretary Travnick . Back in 2018 ,

37:33.379 --> 37:35.379
Congressman Walden and I set up the

37:35.379 --> 37:38.260
Klamath Drought Response Agency to

37:38.260 --> 37:40.482
assist the farmers in the Klamath Basin

37:40.739 --> 37:43.620
who had to idle their land for a season

37:43.620 --> 37:46.189
due to drought . And since then , the

37:46.189 --> 37:48.356
Bureau of Reclamation has continued to

37:48.356 --> 37:50.467
support the agency in drought years .

37:51.260 --> 37:54.330
This year , the basin unfortunately is

37:54.330 --> 37:58.070
in severe drought . And there is

37:58.070 --> 38:00.350
some funding that's left over from FY

38:00.350 --> 38:03.889
25 and 26 available to help out ,

38:04.550 --> 38:08.139
thankfully . But as we look to FY 27 ,

38:08.260 --> 38:10.427
the president's budget doesn't contain

38:10.427 --> 38:12.204
funding for the Climate drought

38:12.204 --> 38:15.439
Response Agency . If we face another

38:15.439 --> 38:19.060
drought year in , in the summer of 27 ,

38:19.419 --> 38:23.260
can I get you to commit to helping

38:23.260 --> 38:25.699
us get that DRA assistance to the

38:25.699 --> 38:28.929
Klamath farmers ? Uh , thank you ,

38:28.959 --> 38:30.737
Senator Merkley , for , for the

38:30.737 --> 38:33.015
question . As , as you mentioned , yes ,

38:33.015 --> 38:35.126
we're seeing , uh , drought situation

38:35.126 --> 38:37.237
up in the , the climate basin as , as

38:37.237 --> 38:39.515
well . And , and as you mentioned , um ,

38:39.515 --> 38:39.229
so we were able to put some funding

38:39.229 --> 38:41.285
towards that drought response agency

38:41.285 --> 38:43.939
this year , uh , with the $19.1 million .

38:44.250 --> 38:46.361
Uh , we were also able to so far give

38:46.361 --> 38:48.760
an initial allocation of 221,000 acre

38:48.760 --> 38:51.399
feet and , uh , working really closely

38:51.399 --> 38:53.343
with the , the stakeholders , uh ,

38:53.343 --> 38:55.455
within the area . I have a very small

38:55.455 --> 38:57.621
amount of time . And I'm well aware of

38:57.621 --> 38:59.732
everything you just said it's kind of

38:59.732 --> 39:01.677
just what I just said to you . The

39:01.677 --> 39:03.732
point is , look , there's nothing in

39:03.732 --> 39:05.788
the budget for next year . Can I get

39:05.788 --> 39:08.010
your help to make sure they're not left

39:08.010 --> 39:10.066
high and dry if we face drought next

39:10.066 --> 39:12.288
summer ? So we'll , we'll continue to ,

39:12.288 --> 39:11.820
to work with you on what that drought

39:11.820 --> 39:13.987
response might look like for this next

39:13.987 --> 39:16.042
year . OK , thank you . I appreciate

39:16.042 --> 39:18.098
that , yeah , I , I , I'm perceiving

39:18.098 --> 39:20.219
good intentions to be helpful . Thank

39:20.219 --> 39:23.100
you , thank you . Um , uh , second ,

39:23.459 --> 39:27.379
Assistant Secretary Natal . Um , thank

39:27.379 --> 39:31.120
you for meeting with me last week and

39:31.620 --> 39:34.030
for facilitating a meeting between the

39:34.030 --> 39:36.659
core and Springfield . This is their

39:36.659 --> 39:40.409
Forty-Second Street levee project . And

39:40.409 --> 39:42.576
I had mentioned that the city had been

39:42.576 --> 39:46.030
told that the project was paused ,

39:46.610 --> 39:50.350
and I had been told otherwise from the

39:50.350 --> 39:53.429
cops that it's not paused . Uh , but I

39:53.429 --> 39:55.669
do have with me the emails in which the

39:55.669 --> 39:57.979
court told the city that it was paused ,

39:58.429 --> 40:00.439
and they were very , very specific

40:00.439 --> 40:02.439
about saying the administration was

40:02.439 --> 40:04.606
choosing not to forward funds to these

40:04.606 --> 40:06.828
programs and that therefore it's fund .

40:06.828 --> 40:09.800
But here's the thing , uh , the , the

40:09.800 --> 40:13.310
city has done their copay . They've

40:13.310 --> 40:16.370
spent $400,000 in checks to the cops .

40:17.590 --> 40:20.479
To get this study done . The Corps has

40:20.479 --> 40:22.959
taken the checks and now just says ,

40:23.040 --> 40:26.300
well , the whole thing's paused . How

40:26.300 --> 40:29.219
do we , how do we resolve this ? I know

40:29.219 --> 40:31.219
you offered to help . Have you been

40:31.219 --> 40:33.441
able to facilitate some conversations ,

40:33.441 --> 40:35.441
get this straightened out , and get

40:35.441 --> 40:37.663
this , uh , because without the study ,

40:37.663 --> 40:39.886
they can't proceed . And we are talking

40:39.886 --> 40:41.941
about a levee that is 60 years old ,

40:41.979 --> 40:45.100
that protects 24,000 people , and

40:45.100 --> 40:47.322
they're very concerned that they've got

40:47.322 --> 40:49.378
to complete the study and prepare to

40:49.378 --> 40:51.378
try to make sure this thing doesn't

40:51.378 --> 40:54.629
collapse . Uh , Senator Merkley , thank

40:54.629 --> 40:56.796
you for the question . I don't believe

40:56.796 --> 40:59.018
that that project has been paused . I ,

40:59.018 --> 41:01.018
I don't believe that information is

41:01.018 --> 41:00.949
accurate . I , I know we responded to

41:00.949 --> 41:03.171
your office earlier this week . General

41:03.171 --> 41:05.338
Graham has personally looked into this

41:05.338 --> 41:07.449
for us . Um , Senator , it , it's not

41:07.449 --> 41:09.393
paused . There was some hiccups in

41:09.393 --> 41:11.780
getting the current year money released ,

41:12.110 --> 41:14.332
and that was just administrative work .

41:14.332 --> 41:16.332
I'm responsible for that . That got

41:16.332 --> 41:18.221
fixed yesterday . They are moving

41:18.221 --> 41:21.800
forward with $160,000 that they've got

41:21.800 --> 41:23.967
in their current accounts to keep this

41:23.967 --> 41:25.967
vital CAP 105 flood risk management

41:25.967 --> 41:27.911
project moving forward , and we're

41:27.911 --> 41:30.133
happy to sit down with the city to make

41:30.133 --> 41:29.520
sure that there's no more

41:29.520 --> 41:31.576
miscommunication . I just wanna make

41:31.576 --> 41:34.600
sure , Assistant Secretary Tell , I

41:34.600 --> 41:37.610
just want you . To understand , I'm

41:37.610 --> 41:41.050
just reading from the email from the

41:41.050 --> 41:44.340
core . It says , the

41:44.340 --> 41:46.739
Springfield Forty-Second Street levee

41:46.739 --> 41:50.260
Project . Cap project , flood risk cap

41:50.260 --> 41:52.260
project has been stopped due to the

41:52.260 --> 41:54.482
pause of issuance of additional federal

41:54.482 --> 41:56.704
funds . Now , Lieutenant General , uh ,

41:56.719 --> 41:58.997
you're saying you've had conversations ,

41:59.070 --> 42:01.229
it's back on track , Senator , that's

42:01.229 --> 42:03.340
correct . Thank you . I just want you

42:03.340 --> 42:05.396
to know that I am not making this up

42:05.396 --> 42:07.451
because you kind of implied that you

42:07.451 --> 42:09.451
didn't believe that that was true .

42:09.451 --> 42:09.199
Well , Senator Merkley , no , I , I ,

42:09.429 --> 42:11.540
that's not what I'm implying at all .

42:11.540 --> 42:13.873
What I will say , and this is a general ,

42:13.873 --> 42:13.669
this is not specific to this project ,

42:13.750 --> 42:16.040
but as a general matter . It is quite

42:16.040 --> 42:18.207
common for our project managers in the

42:18.207 --> 42:20.429
field as they manage the project to get

42:20.429 --> 42:22.373
the best result for the taxpayer ,

42:22.373 --> 42:24.429
ensure that our non-federal sponsors

42:24.429 --> 42:23.870
and the federal government are seeing

42:23.870 --> 42:26.148
eye to eye to make sure cost-shares in ,

42:26.148 --> 42:28.203
in , in line . It is common practice

42:28.203 --> 42:30.426
for our , Practitioners in the field to

42:30.426 --> 42:32.370
put a project on pause . The check

42:32.370 --> 42:31.939
engine light comes over . They pull

42:31.939 --> 42:33.939
over to the side of the road . So I

42:33.939 --> 42:35.717
just want to make sure that you

42:35.717 --> 42:37.383
understand that that from our

42:37.383 --> 42:39.439
perspective , there may be instances

42:39.439 --> 42:41.495
throughout , uh , how we conduct our

42:41.495 --> 42:43.661
business where a project may be paused

42:43.661 --> 42:45.606
for some good reason , uh , that's

42:45.606 --> 42:47.883
technical in nature . And so thank you ,

42:47.883 --> 42:50.106
and I think that's the case that , uh ,

42:50.106 --> 42:52.383
fine . I just wanted you to understand ,

42:52.383 --> 42:54.717
uh , I'm not creating some fiction here .

42:54.717 --> 42:56.772
Who wrote the email . It is from the

42:56.772 --> 43:00.080
Portland district of . Of the core ,

43:00.989 --> 43:04.310
yeah , yeah . Uh , I , I'll enter a

43:04.310 --> 43:08.120
copy of it into the record . Thank

43:08.120 --> 43:11.500
you . Um , and , but I understand it's

43:11.500 --> 43:13.722
discussions have proceeded . It's now .

43:14.409 --> 43:16.576
Now proceeding forward because they're

43:16.576 --> 43:18.853
feeling very stranded . OK , thank you ,

43:18.929 --> 43:21.096
thank you . I really appreciate that .

43:21.469 --> 43:23.719
And um can I borrow that email ?

43:26.120 --> 43:28.800
No , I'm sorry , go ahead . I'll help

43:28.800 --> 43:31.860
you any way I can . You , you help

43:31.860 --> 43:33.971
Oregon projects , I'll help Louisiana

43:33.971 --> 43:36.780
projects . How about that ? Um , the

43:36.780 --> 43:40.139
Willamette Hydropower Study , um , this

43:40.139 --> 43:44.060
is a study in which there's 13 dams and

43:44.060 --> 43:46.282
people , uh , the various owners wanted

43:46.282 --> 43:47.949
to all understand what is the

43:47.949 --> 43:49.616
significance of the different

43:49.616 --> 43:51.727
hydropower pieces , many of , many of

43:51.727 --> 43:54.100
which , um , uh , play different mounts

43:54.100 --> 43:57.780
and roles . And Uh , we

43:57.979 --> 44:00.159
had a whole preceding project on the ,

44:00.280 --> 44:02.613
the Klamath Dams where the owner didn't ,

44:02.639 --> 44:05.080
didn't want to refurbish the next

44:05.080 --> 44:08.649
fifty-year lease . I've asked now ,

44:08.699 --> 44:11.889
this is the 6th time I've asked to get

44:11.889 --> 44:15.360
this study delivered , and I'm told

44:15.899 --> 44:19.600
that the only response we can get is

44:20.020 --> 44:23.260
it's an OMB and someday we may get told

44:23.260 --> 44:25.679
something about it , but this is in law

44:25.679 --> 44:29.669
from Worda 2022 . How

44:29.669 --> 44:33.189
do we actually , Assistant Secretary ,

44:33.709 --> 44:35.876
how do we , when we put something into

44:35.876 --> 44:39.199
law , It doesn't seem right that the

44:39.199 --> 44:41.989
study is paid for , authorized , done ,

44:42.389 --> 44:45.679
and then is sitting , who knows what

44:45.679 --> 44:47.568
closet somewhere because somebody

44:47.568 --> 44:49.800
doesn't like what the study says . How

44:49.800 --> 44:51.800
do we get it out of that closet and

44:51.800 --> 44:55.060
delivered as the law expects ?

44:55.520 --> 44:57.687
Answer that one and then we'll have to

44:57.687 --> 45:00.020
move on , but we'll have a second round .

45:00.020 --> 45:02.187
OK , thank you . No , no , no , no , I

45:02.187 --> 45:04.076
want you to answer if you would ,

45:04.076 --> 45:06.409
please . Yes siren's question . Senator ,

45:06.409 --> 45:08.020
we're in , uh , almost daily

45:08.020 --> 45:09.964
communication with the interagency

45:09.964 --> 45:11.909
about how we can move these things

45:11.909 --> 45:13.964
along . In this particular case , as

45:13.964 --> 45:15.853
you noted , this has , this spans

45:15.853 --> 45:17.909
multiple years and it has to do with

45:17.909 --> 45:19.964
taking hydropower facilities offline

45:19.964 --> 45:21.687
and transferring them to power

45:21.687 --> 45:23.576
marketing agency . This is a very

45:23.576 --> 45:25.242
complicated question that the

45:25.242 --> 45:27.439
interagency must deliberate on . I'm ,

45:27.899 --> 45:30.121
uh , I'm , I'm interested in getting it

45:30.121 --> 45:32.343
to you , uh , as quickly as we possibly

45:32.343 --> 45:34.288
can , and I'm working towards that

45:34.288 --> 45:36.455
every single day . I appreciate that ,

45:36.455 --> 45:38.510
uh , because it may be interagency ,

45:38.510 --> 45:40.566
but the study's been paid for , it's

45:40.566 --> 45:42.843
been done . It's in law . The point is ,

45:42.843 --> 45:45.066
at some point , someone has to say , we

45:45.066 --> 45:47.066
are handing it over and maybe put a

45:47.066 --> 45:49.121
preface on it and say you don't like

45:49.121 --> 45:51.232
the results or something , but for it

45:51.232 --> 45:53.399
to be buried forever is a waste of the

45:53.399 --> 45:52.760
taxpayers' money and a really a

45:52.760 --> 45:54.816
violation of the spirit of the law .

45:55.219 --> 45:57.330
Thank you , Senator , Senator Britt .

45:57.330 --> 45:59.441
Thank you very much , Mr . Chairman .

45:59.441 --> 46:01.497
Uh , thank all of you for being here

46:01.497 --> 46:03.719
today . Really appreciate the work that

46:03.719 --> 46:05.386
you do and look forward to an

46:05.386 --> 46:04.820
opportunity to talk about some

46:04.820 --> 46:06.931
important things . I wanna start with

46:06.931 --> 46:09.060
Assistant Secretary Tell and General

46:09.060 --> 46:11.116
Graham . Uh , first wanna express my

46:11.116 --> 46:13.338
appreciation . for what you've done for

46:13.338 --> 46:15.665
the Mobile Harbor project , um , and

46:15.665 --> 46:17.665
this year's work plan . The newly

46:17.665 --> 46:19.504
deepened ship channel is truly

46:19.504 --> 46:21.782
transformative to the state of Alabama ,

46:21.782 --> 46:23.893
to the entire Gulf Coast region , and

46:23.893 --> 46:26.060
ultimately to commerce , and um it's a

46:26.060 --> 46:28.337
critical gateway for our entire nation .

46:28.337 --> 46:30.393
I appreciate the Corp's attention to

46:30.393 --> 46:32.479
the dredging and material management

46:32.479 --> 46:35.020
techniques um that are being utilized

46:35.020 --> 46:37.131
there in Mobile Bay . So thank you so

46:37.131 --> 46:39.242
much for being so intentional in that

46:39.242 --> 46:41.629
space . Um , maximizing the core's

46:41.629 --> 46:44.010
resources is important , um , but so is

46:44.010 --> 46:46.780
ensuring that we are good stewards of

46:46.780 --> 46:48.969
the bay's natural resources ,

46:49.500 --> 46:51.333
especially when so many jobs and

46:51.333 --> 46:53.280
industries and local . Communities

46:53.649 --> 46:55.871
depend on the health and the beauty and

46:55.871 --> 46:58.429
the fruitfulness of the wildlife there

46:58.429 --> 47:00.969
in Mobile Bay . So I appreciate your

47:00.969 --> 47:03.191
attention to that . Um , I want to make

47:03.191 --> 47:05.525
sure that we do this the right way . Um ,

47:05.525 --> 47:07.747
and that brings me to something I think

47:07.747 --> 47:09.858
we can all agree on , and that is the

47:09.858 --> 47:12.136
streamlining of the permitting process .

47:12.136 --> 47:14.358
So with the Upper Mobile Bay Beneficial

47:14.358 --> 47:16.580
use site is a major accomplishment made

47:16.580 --> 47:18.580
through . Uh , possible through the

47:18.580 --> 47:20.636
collaboration , as you all know , of

47:20.636 --> 47:22.413
the Port of Mobile , uh , local

47:22.413 --> 47:24.580
stakeholders and the Corps . However ,

47:24.580 --> 47:26.636
despite the broad support , um , the

47:26.636 --> 47:28.747
permitting process for that site took

47:28.747 --> 47:31.209
more than 5 years . Um , General Graham

47:31.209 --> 47:33.050
or Assistant Secretary Tell , my

47:33.050 --> 47:35.106
question is , how does the Corps . A

47:35.106 --> 47:37.524
broader initiative focused on reducing

47:37.524 --> 47:40.245
red tape and improving efficiencies

47:40.245 --> 47:42.524
helps streamline overlapping permitting

47:42.524 --> 47:44.468
and environmental review processes

47:44.885 --> 47:47.965
between the core and the EPA so that

47:47.965 --> 47:50.021
critical infrastructure projects and

47:50.021 --> 47:51.854
beneficial use projects can move

47:51.854 --> 47:54.021
forward more quickly . Senator Britt ,

47:54.021 --> 47:56.132
thank you for the question , and it's

47:56.132 --> 47:58.243
an important one , I think I've heard

47:58.243 --> 48:00.709
on a bipartisan basis frustrations with

48:00.850 --> 48:02.961
the permitting process at the federal

48:02.961 --> 48:05.017
level , and I will say that building

48:05.017 --> 48:04.219
infrastructure , not paperwork and

48:04.219 --> 48:05.719
actions taken by the Trump

48:05.719 --> 48:07.941
administration over the last year and a

48:07.941 --> 48:10.052
half have done a tremendous amount to

48:10.052 --> 48:12.409
streamline this process . Uh , in March

48:12.409 --> 48:14.631
of last year , in response to a Supreme

48:14.631 --> 48:16.853
Court decision that was relevant , uh ,

48:16.853 --> 48:18.909
we updated our guidance to the field

48:18.909 --> 48:21.131
about how to determine what is and what

48:21.131 --> 48:23.131
is not a water of the United States

48:23.131 --> 48:25.187
under , under current law . That was

48:25.187 --> 48:24.689
important to provide certainty to our

48:24.689 --> 48:27.270
regulators . Um , we're continuing that

48:27.270 --> 48:29.689
and we have a proposed final rule , uh ,

48:29.949 --> 48:32.469
out there for comment , and , uh , we

48:32.469 --> 48:34.580
hope to see that in the coming months

48:34.580 --> 48:36.802
to provide certainty across the board .

48:36.802 --> 48:38.969
When it comes to beneficial use , uh ,

48:38.969 --> 48:41.080
placement of dredge material is often

48:41.080 --> 48:43.191
the long pole in the tent in terms of

48:43.191 --> 48:42.820
our ability to dredge the harbors we

48:42.820 --> 48:45.042
need to dredge if we don't have a place

48:45.042 --> 48:47.264
to put the material in a cost-effective

48:47.264 --> 48:49.376
way . Um , it makes it very difficult

48:49.376 --> 48:51.709
to keep our ports and harbors , uh , uh ,

48:51.709 --> 48:53.959
deep and maintained . Um , and so we ,

48:54.040 --> 48:56.262
we're part of building infrastructure ,

48:56.262 --> 48:58.318
not paperwork is really about asking

48:58.318 --> 49:00.373
our partners at ports to think about

49:00.373 --> 49:02.540
this in advance , work with us to find

49:02.540 --> 49:01.600
these sites , and then when they come

49:01.600 --> 49:03.822
to us , making sure that the process is

49:03.822 --> 49:06.044
streamlined . Uh , in the case you're ,

49:06.044 --> 49:08.211
you're talking about beneficial use of

49:08.211 --> 49:08.040
material in the Mobile Bay , this is

49:08.040 --> 49:10.207
critically important . If we could use

49:10.207 --> 49:11.984
every grain of sand we have for

49:11.984 --> 49:14.096
beneficial use , we would . Uh , it ,

49:14.096 --> 49:16.096
it becomes cost prohibitive in many

49:16.096 --> 49:16.030
cases , but it's absolutely something

49:16.030 --> 49:18.197
we're committed to . Let's continue to

49:18.197 --> 49:20.141
work together to get it right . So

49:20.141 --> 49:20.110
thank you very much and actually , um ,

49:20.229 --> 49:22.750
while I have you on the restructuring

49:22.750 --> 49:24.861
and what you're doing there as far as

49:24.861 --> 49:27.028
making things more efficient , there's

49:27.028 --> 49:29.250
been some back and forth about salaries

49:29.250 --> 49:31.209
and the . Changes to the budgeting

49:31.209 --> 49:33.810
process with regards to staff salaries ,

49:33.889 --> 49:35.889
can you talk a little bit about how

49:35.889 --> 49:38.550
that change would ultimately allow you ,

49:38.770 --> 49:41.689
um , to , to maybe better execute

49:41.689 --> 49:43.689
projects in the long term because I

49:43.689 --> 49:45.633
think there's definitely been some

49:45.633 --> 49:47.856
confusion around that and would love to

49:47.856 --> 49:47.739
hear from you on it . Uh , certainly ,

49:47.810 --> 49:50.088
Senator Brittan , um , I think Senator ,

49:50.110 --> 49:51.999
uh , Chairman Kennedy , uh , said

49:51.999 --> 49:54.054
earlier that he , that an accounting

49:54.054 --> 49:54.050
challenge , he's skeptical whether

49:54.050 --> 49:56.217
accounting , accounting change can fix

49:56.217 --> 49:58.272
all the problems at the core , and I

49:58.272 --> 50:00.494
agree with that . It's one of , uh , 28

50:00.494 --> 50:02.606
reforms that are all complementary to

50:02.606 --> 50:01.649
each other , but it's an important one .

50:01.719 --> 50:03.830
It's the one that is most relevant in

50:03.830 --> 50:06.052
my view to this subcommittee because it

50:06.052 --> 50:08.219
has to do with the account structure .

50:08.219 --> 50:10.441
I would argue that there is very little

50:10.441 --> 50:12.497
in the way that the subcommittee and

50:12.497 --> 50:11.969
the Congress appropriates in the energy

50:11.969 --> 50:14.025
and water bill that incentivizes our

50:14.025 --> 50:16.790
workforce to deliver . Um , the project

50:16.790 --> 50:19.560
funding , uh , can be , is , is a , our ,

50:19.590 --> 50:21.479
our employees bill to the project

50:21.479 --> 50:23.201
funding , and there's no limit

50:23.201 --> 50:25.368
currently on how much they bill to the

50:25.368 --> 50:27.423
project funding . So would you would

50:27.423 --> 50:29.646
just be incentivized to keep it going ?

50:29.646 --> 50:29.520
That , that , that's correct , and I've

50:29.520 --> 50:31.742
actually heard that from our commanders

50:31.742 --> 50:33.742
that , um , their intention between

50:33.742 --> 50:35.909
delivery and maintaining the health of

50:35.909 --> 50:35.760
their district , and that's not the

50:35.760 --> 50:37.982
tension we should put them in . Uh , we

50:37.982 --> 50:39.982
should make decisions . This budget

50:39.982 --> 50:42.038
includes for the first time ever , a

50:42.038 --> 50:41.679
split between project costs and

50:41.679 --> 50:43.790
salaries and expenses . This provides

50:43.790 --> 50:45.735
you with clarity about what you're

50:45.735 --> 50:48.060
buying . And it allows us to have a

50:48.060 --> 50:50.669
workforce that can count on their

50:50.669 --> 50:53.709
salaries whether or not um they're tied

50:53.709 --> 50:55.820
to a project . We think delinking and

50:55.820 --> 50:58.042
decoupling and the commingling of these

50:58.042 --> 51:00.209
funds will result in a workforce whose

51:00.209 --> 51:02.042
incentives are more aligned with

51:02.042 --> 51:04.153
delivery , which I know is the I hope

51:04.153 --> 51:06.209
we can deliver projects sufficiently

51:06.209 --> 51:08.376
and effectively and reliably , and I ,

51:08.376 --> 51:10.542
I hope that this will lead us to doing

51:10.542 --> 51:10.500
that . Last thing , Mr . Chairman , um ,

51:10.750 --> 51:13.235
the Tom . Tennessee Tom Bigbee Waterway .

51:13.435 --> 51:15.546
It's a critical piece of our nation's

51:15.546 --> 51:18.635
inland navigation network . As you know ,

51:18.715 --> 51:20.826
we had a study that was authorized by

51:20.826 --> 51:22.437
WRA , and I've worked with a

51:22.437 --> 51:24.824
subcommittee to , to help secure the

51:24.824 --> 51:26.768
funding to support that . And just

51:26.768 --> 51:28.991
given the importance of that corridor ,

51:28.991 --> 51:30.991
both in Alabama and the country , I

51:30.991 --> 51:33.046
wanted to ask for your commitment to

51:33.046 --> 51:34.991
continue working with my office to

51:34.991 --> 51:37.157
ensure that we can move this study and

51:37.157 --> 51:39.491
project forward in the future . Senator ,

51:39.491 --> 51:41.824
absolutely . Thank you . Thank you , Mr .

51:41.824 --> 51:43.991
Chair . Senator Heinrich . Thank you ,

51:43.991 --> 51:46.157
Chairman . You're welcome . Um , folks

51:46.157 --> 51:48.213
in the Senate and around the country

51:48.213 --> 51:50.213
have heard a lot about the Colorado

51:50.213 --> 51:52.491
River in the last couple of years . Uh ,

51:52.491 --> 51:54.479
this is the other water crisis for

51:54.479 --> 51:56.590
those of us who are split between the

51:56.590 --> 51:58.923
Colorado Basin and the Rio Grande Basin .

51:58.923 --> 52:01.090
Um , this is the pueblo of Santa Ana ,

52:01.120 --> 52:04.080
north of Albuquerque . Uh , in a normal

52:04.080 --> 52:06.479
year , it , the rivers between 3 and

52:06.479 --> 52:09.520
4000 CFS cubic feet per second . Uh ,

52:09.659 --> 52:12.739
last year we thought it was an absolute

52:12.739 --> 52:15.379
emergency because it was at 600 cubic

52:15.379 --> 52:18.219
feet per second . This year it's at 200

52:18.300 --> 52:20.979
right now . Um , it's getting harder

52:20.979 --> 52:24.020
and harder to manage the Rio Grande in

52:24.020 --> 52:26.620
the current situation , given that

52:26.620 --> 52:28.842
there's not enough water to go around ,

52:28.842 --> 52:31.580
uh , Assistant Secretary Trav Travnik ,

52:32.050 --> 52:35.489
um , how , how is reclamation making

52:35.489 --> 52:37.600
decisions about allocations right now

52:37.600 --> 52:41.370
on the Rio Grande ? Uh , thank you for

52:41.370 --> 52:43.592
the , the question , Senator . Oh , and

52:43.592 --> 52:45.814
thank , thank you for coming out to New

52:45.814 --> 52:47.814
Mexico last week . I appreciate you

52:47.814 --> 52:49.870
putting eyes on this yourself on the

52:49.870 --> 52:51.981
ground . Yeah , no , I was just gonna

52:51.981 --> 52:51.489
mention that , that , uh , it was , it

52:51.489 --> 52:53.656
was good to be out there , um , was in

52:53.656 --> 52:55.711
El Paso on , on Friday and then took

52:55.711 --> 52:57.767
the time to get over and see some of

52:57.767 --> 52:57.610
the infrastructure that you have within

52:57.610 --> 52:59.610
the state of New Mexico , and , and

52:59.610 --> 53:01.721
you're exactly right , drove over the

53:01.721 --> 53:03.721
Rio Grande and , and that's what it

53:03.721 --> 53:03.330
looks like right now in some areas for

53:03.330 --> 53:05.552
sure , so . Uh , so , yeah , so we're ,

53:05.552 --> 53:07.774
we're definitely , as it's working with

53:07.774 --> 53:09.830
the , the allocations that , that we

53:09.830 --> 53:09.229
worked through , of course , it's ,

53:09.280 --> 53:11.224
it's related to whether it's a , a

53:11.224 --> 53:13.336
treaty that's in place , whether it's

53:13.336 --> 53:15.502
an agreement that's already in place ,

53:15.502 --> 53:15.479
uh , and then also trying to see if

53:15.479 --> 53:17.312
there's areas where we can think

53:17.312 --> 53:19.201
outside the box if we've got that

53:19.201 --> 53:21.146
ability to . To do so . So I think

53:21.146 --> 53:23.312
we're , we're trying all the different

53:23.312 --> 53:25.423
tools in the toolbox , uh , also open

53:25.423 --> 53:27.701
to any new thoughts and ideas . I mean ,

53:27.701 --> 53:27.689
at the same time we're having

53:27.689 --> 53:29.800
discussions related to desal , trying

53:29.800 --> 53:31.356
to see if there's areas for

53:31.356 --> 53:33.411
augmentation , water reuse , um , so

53:33.411 --> 53:35.522
we're , we're looking at everything ,

53:35.522 --> 53:37.745
you know , one of the reasons why we're

53:37.745 --> 53:39.911
in such a , a , a tough spot right now

53:39.911 --> 53:42.133
in the Rio Grande is because one of our

53:42.133 --> 53:44.169
most significant , uh , storage

53:44.169 --> 53:48.010
facilities , Elvado Dam , is at , um .

53:48.350 --> 53:51.840
Uh , it is basically offline right now ,

53:52.320 --> 53:54.376
needs to be refurbished , has been a

53:54.376 --> 53:56.919
problem for a while . Uh , when will

53:56.919 --> 54:00.360
reclamation ? Complete its assessment

54:00.360 --> 54:02.639
of which alternative to pursue to

54:02.639 --> 54:05.199
restore Elvado Dam . Uh , appreciate

54:05.199 --> 54:07.421
the question too . I know how important

54:07.421 --> 54:09.588
that dam is , uh , is to the state and

54:09.588 --> 54:11.532
to the water users recognizing the

54:11.532 --> 54:13.643
importance of the storage . Um , so I

54:13.643 --> 54:15.810
was a little , get , I'm able to get a

54:15.810 --> 54:15.800
little bit of information of this too

54:15.800 --> 54:17.967
while I was on the road . So the , the

54:17.967 --> 54:19.744
team that's working on it , the

54:19.744 --> 54:21.856
engineers , uh , so where we're at in

54:21.856 --> 54:21.840
the process right now , we're doing a

54:21.840 --> 54:24.199
field exploration study , uh , looking

54:24.199 --> 54:26.421
at where those impacts might be related

54:26.421 --> 54:28.824
to concerns on seepage . Uh , so we are

54:28.824 --> 54:30.768
gonna have to be doing some , some

54:30.768 --> 54:32.935
drilling , looking at the foundation .

54:32.935 --> 54:34.935
Uh , the goal is that the fieldwork

54:34.935 --> 54:37.102
will be going on this summer . I think

54:37.102 --> 54:39.157
what's slated right now is that that

54:39.157 --> 54:41.324
May to September time frame , uh , but

54:41.324 --> 54:41.215
hopefully we can figure out what that

54:41.215 --> 54:43.326
preferred alternative is and then get

54:43.326 --> 54:45.945
that back up and running . Uh , uh , in

54:45.945 --> 54:48.145
this case , what I hope I don't see is

54:48.145 --> 54:50.367
a no action alternative because without

54:50.367 --> 54:53.179
Alvada we , we're just like . Up a

54:53.179 --> 54:55.580
creek without a paddle . Poor metaphor

54:55.580 --> 54:57.979
for drought , but nonetheless , um ,

54:58.629 --> 55:00.939
one of the tools you have to , to sort

55:00.939 --> 55:03.060
of let some of the stress out of the

55:03.060 --> 55:05.659
system in , um , in the current

55:05.659 --> 55:08.659
situation that , that , uh , a shortage

55:08.659 --> 55:10.881
across basins in the West West is Water

55:10.881 --> 55:12.949
Smart grant funding and . You know ,

55:13.070 --> 55:16.669
the Congress appropriated over $2

55:16.669 --> 55:18.790
billion for Water Smart in the

55:18.790 --> 55:20.790
bipartisan infrastructure law . I

55:20.790 --> 55:23.350
believe about 1.3% of that has actually

55:23.350 --> 55:26.790
been , um , uh , spent so

55:26.790 --> 55:30.770
far . Are you looking at that as a way

55:30.770 --> 55:33.709
to try to create new wet water in some

55:33.709 --> 55:36.030
of these systems , or at least let some

55:36.030 --> 55:38.252
of the stress out because we've had a ,

55:38.252 --> 55:40.830
a particular grant . Uh , that I

55:40.830 --> 55:43.260
believe is , is still tied up even

55:43.260 --> 55:46.850
though it had been , uh , approved . Uh ,

55:47.000 --> 55:49.056
thank you for the question . Can you

55:49.056 --> 55:51.222
tell me which one it is that's tied up

55:51.222 --> 55:53.333
at Peak , uh , Land Alliance . It was

55:53.333 --> 55:55.611
for forest thinning and trying to , uh ,

55:55.639 --> 55:57.806
get the watershed to produce more into

55:57.806 --> 55:59.972
the , into the system . OK , I'll take

55:59.972 --> 56:02.028
that back to look at it a little bit

56:02.028 --> 56:02.000
closer , but , but no , it's exactly

56:02.000 --> 56:03.944
right . We we're looking to . Uh ,

56:03.944 --> 56:06.278
still maximize using those dollars that ,

56:06.278 --> 56:08.278
that we have from , from previously

56:08.278 --> 56:10.278
putting those to good use . Uh , we

56:10.278 --> 56:12.444
continue to not only look at the , the

56:12.444 --> 56:14.722
water smart ones that still exist , um ,

56:14.722 --> 56:16.778
but the other programs as well . But

56:16.778 --> 56:18.833
I'll take that back . Um , Secretary

56:18.833 --> 56:21.167
Tell , um , for about a quarter century ,

56:21.167 --> 56:23.222
Congress has directed the Army Corps

56:23.222 --> 56:25.056
and reclamation to work with the

56:25.056 --> 56:27.379
National Academies of Science to , to

56:27.379 --> 56:30.300
identify durable integrated water

56:30.300 --> 56:32.411
resource solutions for the Rio Grande

56:32.411 --> 56:34.633
Basin . Um , I understand the Bureau of

56:34.633 --> 56:36.800
Reclamation and the National Academies

56:36.800 --> 56:39.022
of Science are ready to start on that .

56:39.022 --> 56:41.133
Uh , they just need the Army Corps to

56:41.133 --> 56:43.189
fully participate . Is , is the Army

56:43.189 --> 56:45.522
Corps going to participate in that ? Uh ,

56:45.679 --> 56:49.000
Senator , uh , I'm showing in FY 26 ,

56:49.120 --> 56:51.479
uh , no specific funding for this , but

56:51.479 --> 56:53.423
I'll get back to you . I , I think

56:53.423 --> 56:55.423
General Graham has studied this one

56:55.423 --> 56:57.550
extensively . General , Senator , we

56:57.550 --> 56:59.772
certainly understand your intent here ,

56:59.772 --> 57:01.994
and we do work collaboratively with the

57:01.994 --> 57:04.229
Bureau of Reclamation throughout . The

57:04.229 --> 57:06.285
Rio Grande Valley . We don't believe

57:06.285 --> 57:08.469
that we have the authority nor funding

57:08.469 --> 57:10.830
to do the collaboration to send that

57:10.830 --> 57:12.663
funds to the National Academy of

57:12.663 --> 57:14.830
Science , but our commitment to you is

57:14.830 --> 57:14.830
to come back to your staff to see if we

57:14.830 --> 57:17.052
can find a way forward on this . But we

57:17.052 --> 57:19.108
clearly understand your intent , and

57:19.108 --> 57:21.330
we'll see if we can put together a path

57:21.330 --> 57:23.497
that gets us there . Uh , I appreciate

57:23.497 --> 57:25.608
your intent , General . There was a ,

57:25.608 --> 57:27.774
I'm sure you know this , senator , but

57:27.774 --> 57:30.500
there was a long piece . I think it was

57:30.500 --> 57:32.770
the Wall Street Journal . About the

57:32.770 --> 57:35.649
Colorado River , yeah , it's , we got a

57:35.649 --> 57:37.850
mess , so it's a tough one . It's a 5

57:37.850 --> 57:39.929
alarm fire when you , I mean , it's

57:39.929 --> 57:42.570
basically a problem of , of snow ,

57:42.610 --> 57:45.179
isn't it ? It is , but it's also , uh ,

57:45.449 --> 57:48.090
the , the entire watershed is producing

57:48.090 --> 57:50.257
less water than it used to , and we've

57:50.257 --> 57:52.201
known this for a couple of several

57:52.201 --> 57:54.909
decades , uh , and we keep using more

57:55.229 --> 57:57.285
than comes in so that every year the

57:57.285 --> 57:59.285
storage gets lower and at a certain

57:59.285 --> 58:01.639
point the system doesn't even work if ,

58:01.649 --> 58:05.280
uh . If if the water level in some of

58:05.280 --> 58:07.439
those reservoirs gets below the

58:07.439 --> 58:09.606
infrastructure was built to be able to

58:09.606 --> 58:13.260
manage the water . OK , Senator Hoeven .

58:14.320 --> 58:16.598
Senator King , you're right about that .

58:16.598 --> 58:18.709
I read the same article . It's a huge

58:18.709 --> 58:20.820
challenge . Uh , Secretary Travnick ,

58:20.820 --> 58:22.931
good to see you . Know you're hard at

58:22.931 --> 58:22.639
work on that and many other things .

58:22.760 --> 58:24.760
Thank you for your help speaking of

58:24.760 --> 58:27.229
water . Uh , thank you for your help on

58:27.229 --> 58:29.396
EOS , Eastern North Dakota Alternative

58:29.396 --> 58:31.507
Water Supply Project , very important

58:31.507 --> 58:33.507
for the whole eastern half of North

58:33.507 --> 58:35.729
Dakota and parts of Minnesota as well .

58:35.729 --> 58:37.840
We made excellent progress on that in

58:37.840 --> 58:39.951
the last couple of years , uh , about

58:39.951 --> 58:42.118
$158 million in funding , but also use

58:42.118 --> 58:44.285
of the McCluskey Canal , which frankly

58:44.285 --> 58:46.451
saves both the state . In North Dakota

58:46.451 --> 58:48.562
and the federal government about $200

58:48.562 --> 58:50.785
million because we're actually using it

58:50.785 --> 58:52.562
as well as $4 million a year in

58:52.562 --> 58:54.785
operating costs , but we've got more to

58:54.785 --> 58:56.951
do on the federal share . The state is

58:56.951 --> 58:58.785
funding its share . The state is

58:58.785 --> 59:00.896
stepping up and doing its part . Talk

59:00.896 --> 59:03.118
to me about how we're going to continue

59:03.118 --> 59:04.951
to provide additional funding to

59:04.951 --> 59:07.173
complete that vital project . Uh , good

59:07.173 --> 59:09.396
to see you , Senator Hoeven , and , and

59:09.396 --> 59:08.899
you're exactly right that how important

59:08.899 --> 59:11.010
that ENDAS project is to the , to the

59:11.010 --> 59:12.899
communities up there . I know how

59:12.899 --> 59:15.010
important that is to , to you and the

59:15.010 --> 59:16.843
constituents and how many , uh ,

59:16.843 --> 59:16.600
communities that that will be serving .

59:16.939 --> 59:19.139
Uh , so you've mentioned we were able

59:19.139 --> 59:21.500
to get the one big beautiful bill , uh ,

59:21.620 --> 59:23.939
the $100 million for , for ENDAS , and

59:23.939 --> 59:26.050
of course then continuing to look for

59:26.050 --> 59:28.219
other opportunities as well , uh , and

59:28.219 --> 59:30.500
recognize the importance , uh , that ,

59:30.659 --> 59:32.992
um , the savings that go into that , uh ,

59:32.992 --> 59:34.937
by being able to use the McCluskey

59:34.937 --> 59:37.129
Canal . Right . And also in the

59:37.129 --> 59:40.409
president's budget , so We have your

59:40.409 --> 59:42.742
full , I , I , no , I don't need to ask ,

59:42.742 --> 59:44.853
but I will anyway for the record . We

59:44.853 --> 59:46.965
have your full support in making sure

59:46.965 --> 59:49.020
that we secure that funding to again

59:49.020 --> 59:51.131
match the state's efforts this year .

59:51.580 --> 59:53.747
Uh , correct , Senator . So as , as in

59:53.747 --> 59:55.858
the president's budget , yes , yeah .

59:55.979 --> 59:58.090
And we have your full support to make

59:58.090 --> 01:00:00.257
sure that it's funded as well to match

01:00:00.257 --> 01:00:02.423
the state's efforts . We will continue

01:00:02.423 --> 01:00:04.368
to do that . Thank you . And , and

01:00:04.368 --> 01:00:06.590
again , thank you for your good work on

01:00:06.590 --> 01:00:08.590
this project and others . We really

01:00:08.590 --> 01:00:10.646
appreciate it . Um , Secretary Tut ,

01:00:10.646 --> 01:00:12.757
thanks for being in Fargo last week .

01:00:12.757 --> 01:00:15.379
Um , great job on a great project . I

01:00:15.379 --> 01:00:17.490
guess I'll just start there . I don't

01:00:17.490 --> 01:00:19.601
have an ask for you right now because

01:00:19.601 --> 01:00:21.823
you've been so proactive and so good on

01:00:21.823 --> 01:00:24.540
a $3.2 billion project that's coming in

01:00:24.540 --> 01:00:26.707
under budget ahead of schedule . We'll

01:00:26.707 --> 01:00:28.818
provide flood protection for the same

01:00:28.818 --> 01:00:31.040
area , Eastern North Dakota , Red River

01:00:31.040 --> 01:00:33.209
Valley , as well as Minnesota , uh ,

01:00:33.229 --> 01:00:35.451
with a new public-private partnership ,

01:00:35.659 --> 01:00:37.659
and you've stepped up , been a huge

01:00:37.659 --> 01:00:39.770
help . I don't have an ask . I just ,

01:00:39.770 --> 01:00:42.600
uh , I have a big thanks . And , uh ,

01:00:42.760 --> 01:00:44.816
just any , anything that I wanted to

01:00:44.816 --> 01:00:46.927
again bring it up because you've been

01:00:46.927 --> 01:00:48.816
so good and so helpful . Is there

01:00:48.816 --> 01:00:50.927
anything that you would want to offer

01:00:50.927 --> 01:00:50.719
on that ? Well , Senator Hogan , thank

01:00:50.719 --> 01:00:52.941
you for having me out in North Dakota ,

01:00:52.941 --> 01:00:55.320
and I , I appreciate the thanks , but

01:00:55.320 --> 01:00:58.000
really , I think you and , uh , former

01:00:58.000 --> 01:01:00.056
Governor Burham and others , I think

01:01:00.056 --> 01:01:02.222
about the mayor of Fargo deserve a lot

01:01:02.222 --> 01:01:04.444
of the credit for this . This is one of

01:01:04.444 --> 01:01:06.167
the more innovative flood risk

01:01:06.167 --> 01:01:08.333
mitigation projects that we've seen in

01:01:08.333 --> 01:01:07.830
recent years , and we turned the

01:01:07.830 --> 01:01:10.052
federal , non-federal cost share on its

01:01:10.052 --> 01:01:12.386
head . The federal government's only Uh ,

01:01:12.386 --> 01:01:14.608
covering 35% of the cost is because the

01:01:14.608 --> 01:01:16.552
local , the locals , the states of

01:01:16.552 --> 01:01:18.774
North Dakota and Minnesota have stepped

01:01:18.774 --> 01:01:20.997
up in such an incredible way . And as I

01:01:20.997 --> 01:01:20.050
expressed to you when we were there ,

01:01:20.129 --> 01:01:21.796
it's unfortunate that it took

01:01:21.796 --> 01:01:24.250
superheroes like John Hoeven for us to

01:01:24.250 --> 01:01:26.361
do something innovative . But what we

01:01:26.361 --> 01:01:28.083
learned out there are the same

01:01:28.083 --> 01:01:30.139
principles we've applied in building

01:01:30.139 --> 01:01:29.570
infras . Infrastructure , not paperwork .

01:01:29.649 --> 01:01:31.649
We want to take the same can and do

01:01:31.649 --> 01:01:33.760
attitude that our Saint Paul district

01:01:33.760 --> 01:01:35.760
displayed in Fargo , and we want to

01:01:35.760 --> 01:01:35.080
spread it throughout the country and

01:01:35.080 --> 01:01:36.858
get innovative about delivering

01:01:36.858 --> 01:01:38.747
infrastructure , which is exactly

01:01:38.747 --> 01:01:40.913
what's happening in Fargo . Well , I'm

01:01:40.913 --> 01:01:40.889
glad I asked for your comment . And

01:01:40.889 --> 01:01:43.056
would , would you say that that's even

01:01:43.056 --> 01:01:45.222
the kind of project that could work in

01:01:45.222 --> 01:01:47.056
a place like Louisiana , in your

01:01:47.056 --> 01:01:49.167
opinion ? Well , Senator , uh , North

01:01:49.167 --> 01:01:51.389
Dakota in that area is very flat , um ,

01:01:51.389 --> 01:01:53.445
as , as is Louisiana , and they both

01:01:53.445 --> 01:01:55.445
have challenges for sure , um , but

01:01:55.445 --> 01:01:57.667
absolutely the lessons learned in Fargo

01:01:57.667 --> 01:01:59.889
can benefit every state , and Louisiana

01:01:59.889 --> 01:02:01.945
is in , is in particular need of the

01:02:01.945 --> 01:02:04.056
Corps of Engineers' help right away .

01:02:04.056 --> 01:02:03.879
The reality is that model is a good

01:02:03.879 --> 01:02:06.101
model . For any state , right , because

01:02:06.101 --> 01:02:08.729
it actually saves money , saves time ,

01:02:08.889 --> 01:02:11.111
gets these projects working , and saves

01:02:11.111 --> 01:02:13.278
taxpayer dollars , right ? Yes , sir .

01:02:13.278 --> 01:02:15.310
And you and the mayor and the team

01:02:15.310 --> 01:02:17.610
there in Fargo , the can-do attitude ,

01:02:17.729 --> 01:02:19.951
years of sandbagging , scar tissue from

01:02:19.951 --> 01:02:22.007
sandbagging over the years motivated

01:02:22.007 --> 01:02:24.118
everyone . To get it done and luckily

01:02:24.118 --> 01:02:26.173
we had a St . Paul district that was

01:02:26.173 --> 01:02:26.050
willing to work creatively and deliver .

01:02:26.189 --> 01:02:29.270
I also want to thank for your your work

01:02:29.270 --> 01:02:31.870
to bring Dakota Access Pipeline to

01:02:31.870 --> 01:02:34.510
fruition . Anything you want , other

01:02:34.510 --> 01:02:36.550
than , again , I want to put on the

01:02:36.550 --> 01:02:38.772
record that you've been very helpful in

01:02:38.772 --> 01:02:40.883
that vital project , not just for the

01:02:40.883 --> 01:02:43.379
state but for the country . 800,000 ,

01:02:43.419 --> 01:02:45.659
up to 800,000 barrels a day of the best

01:02:45.659 --> 01:02:47.770
light sweet crude that we produce out

01:02:47.770 --> 01:02:49.770
of North Dakota for the rest of the

01:02:49.770 --> 01:02:51.715
country . Any updates , thoughts ,

01:02:51.715 --> 01:02:53.715
comments on that ? Well , Senator ,

01:02:53.715 --> 01:02:55.937
this is a critically important piece of

01:02:55.937 --> 01:02:58.159
infrastructure . It's part of President

01:02:58.159 --> 01:03:00.048
Trump's energy dominance agenda .

01:03:00.379 --> 01:03:03.260
Energy is the key input to economic

01:03:03.260 --> 01:03:05.790
success and Uh , global influence , and

01:03:05.790 --> 01:03:07.790
I would say that it was unfortunate

01:03:07.790 --> 01:03:09.846
that this project was tied up in red

01:03:09.846 --> 01:03:11.846
tape for so many years . I expect a

01:03:11.846 --> 01:03:13.957
final record of decision imminently .

01:03:14.030 --> 01:03:16.252
And thanks , thanks for your incredible

01:03:16.310 --> 01:03:18.939
work on it . And , uh , finally , uh ,

01:03:19.429 --> 01:03:21.949
General Graham , um , Lake S Kakawea ,

01:03:21.989 --> 01:03:25.629
a 100 mile long man-made lake , thanks

01:03:25.629 --> 01:03:27.851
to Garrison Dam on the Missouri River ,

01:03:27.949 --> 01:03:30.429
incredible asset in so many ways ,

01:03:30.500 --> 01:03:32.500
whether it's for power production ,

01:03:32.500 --> 01:03:34.989
water supply , you name it . Um , but

01:03:34.989 --> 01:03:36.711
it's also really important for

01:03:36.711 --> 01:03:38.822
recreation . So talk to me about your

01:03:38.822 --> 01:03:41.045
commitment to work with the local , and

01:03:41.045 --> 01:03:42.878
there's a lot of local groups up

01:03:42.878 --> 01:03:42.739
they're putting money into boat ramps ,

01:03:42.909 --> 01:03:45.242
access roads , and everything else , uh ,

01:03:45.242 --> 01:03:47.298
your commitment to work with them to

01:03:47.298 --> 01:03:49.187
make sure that those boat ramps ,

01:03:49.187 --> 01:03:51.409
access roads , and other facilities are

01:03:51.409 --> 01:03:53.870
updated and , uh , you know , available .

01:03:54.149 --> 01:03:55.927
So Senator Hovan , the Corps of

01:03:55.927 --> 01:03:57.982
Engineers gets more visitations than

01:03:57.982 --> 01:04:00.093
the National Park Service because our

01:04:00.093 --> 01:03:59.790
facilities are where the people are .

01:03:59.860 --> 01:04:02.189
250 million visitations a year is what

01:04:02.189 --> 01:04:04.189
we get to center . We want to wring

01:04:04.189 --> 01:04:06.500
every ounce of public value we can out

01:04:06.500 --> 01:04:08.500
of the facilities we steward in the

01:04:08.500 --> 01:04:10.722
public's name . You absolutely have our

01:04:10.722 --> 01:04:12.667
commitment . Again , thanks to all

01:04:12.667 --> 01:04:14.944
three of you . Appreciate it very much .

01:04:14.944 --> 01:04:17.000
Thanks , Mr . Chairman . Thank you ,

01:04:17.000 --> 01:04:19.056
Senator . You know , we , uh , we in

01:04:19.056 --> 01:04:21.278
the Senate call . Senator Hoeven by his

01:04:21.278 --> 01:04:22.750
nickname Superhero too .

01:04:24.830 --> 01:04:26.886
But in high school , he was known as

01:04:26.886 --> 01:04:27.886
Scooter .

01:04:31.709 --> 01:04:33.653
Senator , thank , thank you , Mr .

01:04:33.653 --> 01:04:35.765
Chairman . You're welcome , Scooter .

01:04:39.360 --> 01:04:41.080
Senator Peters .

01:04:43.860 --> 01:04:45.804
Yes , sir , you need to catch your

01:04:45.804 --> 01:04:47.749
breath . I won't start the clock .

01:04:47.749 --> 01:04:49.971
We're not paying attention to the clock

01:04:49.971 --> 01:04:51.693
anyway . I appreciate that . I

01:04:51.693 --> 01:04:53.638
appreciate that . Thank you , Mr .

01:04:53.638 --> 01:04:55.749
Chairman . Thank you , member . Thank

01:04:55.749 --> 01:04:59.629
you . Um , I , um , luckily

01:04:59.629 --> 01:05:01.740
come as no surprise to the folks here

01:05:01.740 --> 01:05:03.907
today . I wanna start today by talking

01:05:03.907 --> 01:05:05.573
about the Brandon Road , uh ,

01:05:05.573 --> 01:05:07.830
Interbasin , uh , project . You know ,

01:05:07.949 --> 01:05:10.790
put , uh , simply , this project is our

01:05:10.790 --> 01:05:14.399
one and only hope of keeping carp from

01:05:14.399 --> 01:05:16.909
decimating uh the Great Lakes and

01:05:16.909 --> 01:05:19.076
really causing irreputable , uh , harm

01:05:19.076 --> 01:05:21.500
to our economy and way of life , uh ,

01:05:21.550 --> 01:05:23.772
really throughout the , the Great Lakes

01:05:23.772 --> 01:05:25.828
region . That's why it's been a long

01:05:25.828 --> 01:05:28.250
time priority of mine , and I'm glad to

01:05:28.250 --> 01:05:30.139
see it was also a priority of the

01:05:30.139 --> 01:05:32.649
president as well , uh , as was made

01:05:32.649 --> 01:05:34.889
clear in his protecting the Great Lakes

01:05:34.889 --> 01:05:37.330
from evasive CAP presidential

01:05:37.330 --> 01:05:40.489
memorandum . But to be clear , uh , we

01:05:40.489 --> 01:05:42.489
don't just have to get this project

01:05:42.489 --> 01:05:44.600
done , we also have to get it done as

01:05:44.600 --> 01:05:46.656
soon as possible . Uh , CARP are not

01:05:46.656 --> 01:05:48.822
waiting for that project , and they're

01:05:48.822 --> 01:05:51.045
working aggressively trying to , to get

01:05:51.045 --> 01:05:53.156
into the Great Lakes watershed . So ,

01:05:53.156 --> 01:05:52.989
Assistant Secretary Tao , when , when

01:05:52.989 --> 01:05:55.709
we met last week , you outlined the

01:05:55.709 --> 01:05:58.189
fiscal year 27 funding capability for

01:05:58.189 --> 01:06:02.030
the Brandon Project at $235

01:06:02.030 --> 01:06:04.141
million . That level of funding would

01:06:04.141 --> 01:06:06.310
help ensure the timely award of the

01:06:06.310 --> 01:06:09.250
increment to Flushing DC . In the right

01:06:09.250 --> 01:06:11.889
descending bank guidewall construction

01:06:11.889 --> 01:06:14.050
contracts , which , uh , as you well

01:06:14.050 --> 01:06:16.272
know , is a key to keeping this project

01:06:16.272 --> 01:06:18.250
on track . So I'm certainly laser

01:06:18.250 --> 01:06:20.139
focused on securing this level of

01:06:20.139 --> 01:06:22.649
funding in the FY 27 Energy and water

01:06:22.649 --> 01:06:25.050
bill . My question for you , uh ,

01:06:25.719 --> 01:06:27.997
Assistant Secretary and General Graham ,

01:06:28.040 --> 01:06:30.151
and for those who may not be familiar

01:06:30.151 --> 01:06:32.262
with the stakes here , if both of you

01:06:32.262 --> 01:06:34.096
would let the committee know the

01:06:34.096 --> 01:06:36.207
importance of this project , uh , how

01:06:36.207 --> 01:06:38.096
you've worked to get construction

01:06:38.096 --> 01:06:40.151
moving , and how vital it is , vital

01:06:40.151 --> 01:06:42.318
again stressing that it gets completed

01:06:42.318 --> 01:06:44.484
on time . Thank you , Senator Peters ,

01:06:44.484 --> 01:06:46.596
and you've been a tremendous advocate

01:06:46.596 --> 01:06:46.500
for this project , as has the entire

01:06:46.500 --> 01:06:49.379
state of Michigan . Um , and I like to

01:06:49.379 --> 01:06:51.601
zoom out when I talk about this project

01:06:51.601 --> 01:06:54.060
because , um , prior to the 20th

01:06:54.060 --> 01:06:55.949
century , the Great Lakes and the

01:06:55.949 --> 01:06:57.782
Mississippi River system weren't

01:06:57.782 --> 01:07:00.004
connected . Um , the Corps of Engineers

01:07:00.004 --> 01:07:02.282
during the last century connected them ,

01:07:02.282 --> 01:07:04.393
which has been great for commerce . I

01:07:04.393 --> 01:07:06.504
like to say it connects New Orleans ,

01:07:06.504 --> 01:07:06.179
Louisiana to Buffalo , New York , which

01:07:06.179 --> 01:07:08.235
is a miracle by water , which is the

01:07:08.235 --> 01:07:10.457
most efficient form of transportation .

01:07:10.840 --> 01:07:13.280
The unfortunate byproduct of that is

01:07:13.280 --> 01:07:15.502
that Asian carp entered the Mississippi

01:07:15.502 --> 01:07:17.113
River system and they're now

01:07:17.113 --> 01:07:19.280
threatening to enter the Great Lakes .

01:07:19.280 --> 01:07:21.447
And I've heard from you on a number of

01:07:21.447 --> 01:07:23.669
occasions and from those throughout the

01:07:23.669 --> 01:07:25.669
Great Lakes states about the impact

01:07:25.669 --> 01:07:25.560
this would have on your economy and the

01:07:25.560 --> 01:07:27.727
ecology of the Great Lakes , which are

01:07:27.727 --> 01:07:29.838
an absolute treasure for our nation .

01:07:30.000 --> 01:07:32.000
Uh , the Brandon Road , the Brandon

01:07:32.000 --> 01:07:34.056
Road is a lock on that waterway that

01:07:34.056 --> 01:07:35.879
connects those two , formerly

01:07:35.879 --> 01:07:38.101
unconnected bodies of water . And it is

01:07:38.101 --> 01:07:40.323
a choke point , the perfect choke point

01:07:40.323 --> 01:07:42.379
that we've identified to deter Asian

01:07:42.379 --> 01:07:44.379
carp and turn them around . Uh , it

01:07:44.379 --> 01:07:46.546
will include , General Graham likes to

01:07:46.546 --> 01:07:48.712
call it a fish disco , but it's bubble

01:07:48.712 --> 01:07:50.935
curtains , acoustics , electric shock ,

01:07:50.935 --> 01:07:53.046
uh , flushing , uh , flushing locks ,

01:07:53.046 --> 01:07:55.268
as you mentioned . All these are things

01:07:55.268 --> 01:07:57.490
that we've studied that will turn these

01:07:57.490 --> 01:07:59.657
Asian carp around , uh , and not allow

01:07:59.657 --> 01:08:01.879
them to enter the Great Lakes . This is

01:08:01.879 --> 01:08:01.050
an important project that as you said ,

01:08:01.129 --> 01:08:03.462
President Trump has been a champion for .

01:08:03.462 --> 01:08:05.573
Uh , he believes in that same cause .

01:08:05.573 --> 01:08:07.685
You've been a tremendous advocate for

01:08:07.685 --> 01:08:09.740
it and a great partner . Thank you .

01:08:09.740 --> 01:08:11.851
Thank you , Sarah . This is all about

01:08:11.851 --> 01:08:14.073
momentum , and we've got great momentum

01:08:14.073 --> 01:08:16.296
right now . As you spoke to , increment

01:08:16.296 --> 01:08:18.185
1A is on the streets and uh we're

01:08:18.185 --> 01:08:20.240
progressing forward on that , moving

01:08:20.240 --> 01:08:22.462
forward with the second increment , the

01:08:22.462 --> 01:08:24.629
Flushing lock , as you said , would be

01:08:24.629 --> 01:08:26.740
a great step forward to just maintain

01:08:26.740 --> 01:08:28.851
momentum on this project , deliver it

01:08:28.851 --> 01:08:28.790
efficiently , and protect the Great

01:08:28.790 --> 01:08:30.457
Lakes . Great , thank you . I

01:08:30.457 --> 01:08:32.568
appreciate it . Uh , Mr . Secretary ,

01:08:32.979 --> 01:08:35.499
on May 1st , uh , you signed a request

01:08:35.499 --> 01:08:37.332
allowing for additional time and

01:08:37.332 --> 01:08:39.055
funding to complete the , uh ,

01:08:39.055 --> 01:08:40.721
Southeast Michigan flood Risk

01:08:40.721 --> 01:08:42.832
Management Study , which is , uh , as

01:08:42.832 --> 01:08:45.166
you know , another top priority of mine ,

01:08:45.166 --> 01:08:47.221
uh , and for that , I'd like to just

01:08:47.221 --> 01:08:49.443
say , uh , thank you . Uh , thank you .

01:08:49.443 --> 01:08:49.189
Uh , as we've discussed previously ,

01:08:49.240 --> 01:08:51.351
this is going to help ensure that the

01:08:51.351 --> 01:08:53.518
study progresses to the point at which

01:08:53.518 --> 01:08:55.518
the Corps will be able to develop a

01:08:55.518 --> 01:08:57.709
thorough technical report to inform

01:08:57.709 --> 01:08:59.542
future infrastructure efforts to

01:08:59.542 --> 01:09:01.799
address what has become pretty regular

01:09:01.799 --> 01:09:04.350
regional flooding in the area . With

01:09:04.350 --> 01:09:06.461
this request signed , I'm hoping that

01:09:06.461 --> 01:09:08.294
we can now turn our attention to

01:09:08.294 --> 01:09:10.461
actually getting this , the study done

01:09:10.461 --> 01:09:12.517
in the coming fiscal year so that we

01:09:12.517 --> 01:09:14.461
can start delivering some tangible

01:09:14.461 --> 01:09:16.294
results for residents throughout

01:09:16.294 --> 01:09:18.350
Southeast Michigan . By my account ,

01:09:18.350 --> 01:09:20.406
this study needs another $800,000 in

01:09:20.406 --> 01:09:22.739
federal funding to allow for completion .

01:09:22.759 --> 01:09:24.703
So that's , uh , what I'm gonna be

01:09:24.703 --> 01:09:27.109
working to , uh , secure in FY 27

01:09:27.109 --> 01:09:29.276
energy and water bill . So my question

01:09:29.276 --> 01:09:31.331
for both of you gentlemen is , can I

01:09:31.331 --> 01:09:33.498
count on you to work with me to find a

01:09:33.498 --> 01:09:35.553
way to get this study done so we can

01:09:35.553 --> 01:09:37.831
finish it up in FY 27 ? Senator Peters ,

01:09:37.831 --> 01:09:39.942
thank you for the question . And if I

01:09:39.942 --> 01:09:41.831
might take 30 seconds , this is a

01:09:41.831 --> 01:09:44.053
result of building infrastructure , not

01:09:44.053 --> 01:09:45.998
paperwork . This , uh , success in

01:09:45.998 --> 01:09:47.942
Southeast Michigan . We had , uh ,

01:09:47.942 --> 01:09:50.259
hesitancy in the past to make a

01:09:50.259 --> 01:09:52.799
decision and , uh , give a community

01:09:52.979 --> 01:09:55.035
the information that we had acquired

01:09:55.035 --> 01:09:57.257
and that they had helped fund about how

01:09:57.257 --> 01:09:59.423
best to protect themselves . There may

01:09:59.423 --> 01:09:58.620
be a role for the federal government .

01:09:58.939 --> 01:10:01.161
There may be a role for the , the local

01:10:01.161 --> 01:10:03.439
community in some parts of the project ,

01:10:03.439 --> 01:10:03.379
and that's what we did . We applied a

01:10:03.379 --> 01:10:05.157
new process as part of building

01:10:05.157 --> 01:10:07.157
infrastructure and paperwork called

01:10:07.157 --> 01:10:09.101
RAPID . That's really about making

01:10:09.101 --> 01:10:11.268
decisions , getting everybody involved

01:10:11.268 --> 01:10:10.979
into a conference room and making

01:10:10.979 --> 01:10:13.146
decisions about how to proceed in this

01:10:13.146 --> 01:10:15.090
project , instead of being studied

01:10:15.090 --> 01:10:17.257
forever , uh , we are going to be able

01:10:17.257 --> 01:10:19.257
to deliver something to protect the

01:10:19.257 --> 01:10:19.140
citizens of that area of your state .

01:10:20.799 --> 01:10:22.799
Senator , it's all about hustle and

01:10:22.799 --> 01:10:24.966
moving forward to exactly as Assistant

01:10:24.966 --> 01:10:27.240
Secretary Secretary Tail spoke to ,

01:10:27.470 --> 01:10:29.637
which is get that information where it

01:10:29.637 --> 01:10:31.970
can do the citizens good . Yeah , great .

01:10:31.970 --> 01:10:34.192
Well , I appreciate both of you . Thank

01:10:34.192 --> 01:10:33.799
you for this effort and the other

01:10:33.799 --> 01:10:36.021
effort as well , and , uh , we're gonna

01:10:36.021 --> 01:10:38.243
get all these done soon . I want to get

01:10:38.243 --> 01:10:40.410
them done real soon , certainly by the

01:10:40.410 --> 01:10:40.060
end of the year for a lot of reasons .

01:10:40.439 --> 01:10:43.939
Thank you . Um , we're waiting on

01:10:43.939 --> 01:10:46.379
Senator Murkowski . Senator Murray is

01:10:46.379 --> 01:10:48.657
going to have to go to another hearing .

01:10:48.657 --> 01:10:50.657
Do you have any other questions you

01:10:50.657 --> 01:10:52.657
wanted to ask ? I do not . And if I

01:10:52.657 --> 01:10:52.060
don't make it back , I will just

01:10:52.060 --> 01:10:53.893
reiterate that I look forward to

01:10:53.893 --> 01:10:55.949
working with you . We've got a tough

01:10:55.949 --> 01:10:57.782
challenge in front of us , and I

01:10:57.782 --> 01:10:57.310
appreciate your work . Thank you ,

01:10:57.500 --> 01:11:00.970
thank you , Patty . Do we know if

01:11:01.299 --> 01:11:03.330
Senator Murkowski's on the way ? We

01:11:03.330 --> 01:11:05.890
know . I'm sorry .

01:11:07.250 --> 01:11:10.669
Oh , you texted her . Oh sure , Senator

01:11:10.669 --> 01:11:13.950
Heinrich , uh , I , uh , grabbed a copy

01:11:13.950 --> 01:11:15.950
of a letter that I shared or that I

01:11:15.950 --> 01:11:18.270
sent to you , General , uh , and the

01:11:18.270 --> 01:11:20.189
reason I did that is because with

01:11:20.189 --> 01:11:22.411
regard to , uh , the study that we were

01:11:22.411 --> 01:11:24.430
talking about , um , it's my

01:11:24.430 --> 01:11:26.652
understanding , and this is articulated

01:11:26.652 --> 01:11:28.374
in the letter that there are 4

01:11:28.374 --> 01:11:30.310
different , uh , public law

01:11:30.310 --> 01:11:33.109
authorizations for your ability to

01:11:33.109 --> 01:11:35.620
participate in that study . Um , and

01:11:35.620 --> 01:11:37.898
I'll share that with you again , but I ,

01:11:37.898 --> 01:11:39.731
I think we have plenty of author

01:11:39.819 --> 01:11:41.763
authorization . I think what we're

01:11:41.763 --> 01:11:43.652
asking for here is basically just

01:11:43.652 --> 01:11:47.089
technical assistance . Senator , I , I

01:11:47.089 --> 01:11:49.256
did read your letter . Um , I think we

01:11:49.256 --> 01:11:51.569
still have some , uh , disagreements

01:11:51.569 --> 01:11:53.402
amongst the staff . Happy to get

01:11:53.402 --> 01:11:55.569
everybody in some room and , and let's

01:11:55.569 --> 01:11:57.680
see if we can work this out . I think

01:11:57.680 --> 01:12:00.310
we need to do that . Um , Another

01:12:00.310 --> 01:12:04.160
question for you , Mr . Tell , um . You

01:12:04.160 --> 01:12:07.640
mentioned in your um in your opening

01:12:07.640 --> 01:12:09.196
testimony the importance of

01:12:09.196 --> 01:12:12.600
transparency in the budget um can you

01:12:12.600 --> 01:12:14.711
provide me with a list of the current

01:12:14.711 --> 01:12:17.120
Army Corps projects uh in the state of

01:12:17.120 --> 01:12:19.600
New Mexico and what their status are ?

01:12:20.339 --> 01:12:22.339
Senator Heinrich , absolutely . The

01:12:22.339 --> 01:12:24.450
answer to your question is absolute ,

01:12:24.450 --> 01:12:26.395
absolutely , but it raises another

01:12:26.395 --> 01:12:25.609
point that I think is important for the

01:12:25.609 --> 01:12:27.620
whole committee to understand . My

01:12:27.620 --> 01:12:29.842
first day on the job , I asked the team

01:12:29.842 --> 01:12:32.064
how many projects are authorized in the

01:12:32.064 --> 01:12:34.009
country , and they said , sir , we

01:12:34.009 --> 01:12:36.490
don't know . And I view this as

01:12:36.490 --> 01:12:38.546
something that is inappropriate . We

01:12:38.546 --> 01:12:40.768
ought to know which projects are on the

01:12:40.768 --> 01:12:42.879
books . Uh , General Graham has since

01:12:42.879 --> 01:12:45.101
hired someone to count all the projects

01:12:45.101 --> 01:12:47.212
and account for all the projects that

01:12:47.212 --> 01:12:46.890
have been authorized . I'll tell you

01:12:46.890 --> 01:12:49.112
it's somewhere between by our estimates

01:12:49.112 --> 01:12:51.168
between 1000 and 10,000 , and that's

01:12:51.168 --> 01:12:53.223
about the level of ability we have .

01:12:53.223 --> 01:12:55.446
That's a big range . And so , um , this

01:12:55.446 --> 01:12:54.810
is something we hope to have in the

01:12:54.810 --> 01:12:57.032
coming weeks , but this is part of what

01:12:57.032 --> 01:12:59.199
we're doing to make sure that we clear

01:12:59.199 --> 01:13:01.870
out things that are aged , um , and

01:13:02.049 --> 01:13:04.382
focus our effort on what's needed today .

01:13:04.382 --> 01:13:06.327
So , uh , what's a reasonable time

01:13:06.327 --> 01:13:08.549
frame for , for that just for the state

01:13:08.549 --> 01:13:10.605
of New Mexico , Senator , we can get

01:13:10.605 --> 01:13:12.771
you , uh , the answer to that question

01:13:12.771 --> 01:13:12.700
by the end of the week for New Mexico .

01:13:12.919 --> 01:13:15.086
That's if we find others while General

01:13:15.086 --> 01:13:17.141
Graham's person's counting , we will

01:13:17.141 --> 01:13:19.252
let you know . Thank you . Um , I'm ,

01:13:19.252 --> 01:13:21.308
I'm told that the Corps is , uh , no

01:13:21.308 --> 01:13:22.919
longer has the capability to

01:13:22.919 --> 01:13:24.586
participate in the Rio Grande

01:13:24.586 --> 01:13:26.419
Endangered Species collaborative

01:13:26.419 --> 01:13:28.641
Program , uh , that's been going for 25

01:13:28.641 --> 01:13:30.641
years because as we've had less and

01:13:30.641 --> 01:13:32.808
less water , we've had listings on the

01:13:32.808 --> 01:13:34.863
Rio Grande . That was a project that

01:13:34.863 --> 01:13:37.030
was started by Senator Pete Domenici ,

01:13:37.030 --> 01:13:39.197
uh , to manage some of those conflicts

01:13:39.197 --> 01:13:43.069
and has worked really well , um . Will

01:13:43.069 --> 01:13:44.902
you , can you provide me with an

01:13:44.902 --> 01:13:47.029
explanation for why the decision was

01:13:47.029 --> 01:13:50.439
made , uh , to pull out of that ? I ,

01:13:50.520 --> 01:13:52.742
I'll let General Graham , correct me if

01:13:52.742 --> 01:13:54.909
I'm wrong , but I believe that the ESA

01:13:54.909 --> 01:13:57.076
issue was given a clean bill of health

01:13:57.076 --> 01:13:59.000
around 2018 on this project . And

01:13:59.000 --> 01:14:01.229
that's why , uh , the , in , in other

01:14:01.229 --> 01:14:03.173
words , the challenge that we were

01:14:03.173 --> 01:14:06.750
facing has been addressed . So , as

01:14:06.750 --> 01:14:08.770
Assistant Secretary Tell spoke to

01:14:09.029 --> 01:14:12.229
Senator Heinrich , um , Yes , our

01:14:12.229 --> 01:14:14.229
participation is no longer required

01:14:14.229 --> 01:14:16.229
under the 2017 , I believe it was ,

01:14:16.229 --> 01:14:18.549
biological opinion , but I know there's

01:14:18.549 --> 01:14:21.189
funds sitting on this , and we , my

01:14:21.189 --> 01:14:23.189
understanding sitting here today is

01:14:23.189 --> 01:14:25.245
that our researchers in the district

01:14:25.245 --> 01:14:27.310
are still putting labor towards that

01:14:27.310 --> 01:14:29.310
end . I'll , I'll come back to your

01:14:29.310 --> 01:14:31.421
staff , and you can come back to me I

01:14:31.421 --> 01:14:33.421
think we're still working on it . I

01:14:33.421 --> 01:14:35.643
think what we want to make sure is that

01:14:35.643 --> 01:14:37.810
we don't get ourselves back into the ,

01:14:37.810 --> 01:14:40.032
the problem we had before , sir . Thank

01:14:40.032 --> 01:14:43.450
you . All right , I've got a couple

01:14:43.450 --> 01:14:45.529
more . I promised you folks that you

01:14:45.529 --> 01:14:48.970
could talk about your district salaries

01:14:48.970 --> 01:14:52.930
and expenses project . Give , give us

01:14:52.930 --> 01:14:56.129
a , a 30 or 42nd

01:14:56.410 --> 01:14:58.577
overview like you're talking to a 10th

01:14:58.577 --> 01:15:01.020
grader . Thank you , Mr . Chairman . Uh ,

01:15:01.180 --> 01:15:03.513
the way that the Corps of Engineers has ,

01:15:03.513 --> 01:15:05.624
uh , received funds from Congress and

01:15:05.624 --> 01:15:07.791
budgeted has been by project year over

01:15:07.791 --> 01:15:10.013
year . We have 39 civil works districts

01:15:10.013 --> 01:15:12.124
across the country . That's the large

01:15:12.124 --> 01:15:14.180
part of our staff . The headquarters

01:15:14.180 --> 01:15:16.402
footprint is very small . Our workforce

01:15:16.402 --> 01:15:18.624
is spread out . The way that we pay the

01:15:18.624 --> 01:15:20.513
salaries of those employees is by

01:15:20.513 --> 01:15:22.736
allowing them to build to the project .

01:15:22.736 --> 01:15:24.958
So every project has a labor cost , the

01:15:24.958 --> 01:15:27.124
cost of the people that are working on

01:15:27.124 --> 01:15:29.347
that project , and a delivery cost like

01:15:29.347 --> 01:15:31.513
a contract to execute the project by ,

01:15:31.513 --> 01:15:31.399
I get it . How do you want to do it

01:15:31.399 --> 01:15:33.890
differently ? The FY 27 president's

01:15:33.890 --> 01:15:36.350
budget , uh , recommends separating ,

01:15:36.490 --> 01:15:38.601
um , the labor costs from the project

01:15:38.601 --> 01:15:40.712
costs , both to give you transparency

01:15:40.712 --> 01:15:42.657
so that you understand , uh , what

01:15:42.657 --> 01:15:44.601
portion of each project is tied to

01:15:44.601 --> 01:15:47.609
labor as well as to break the incentive

01:15:47.609 --> 01:15:49.720
that that we believe exists between ,

01:15:50.129 --> 01:15:52.290
um , project . There's a tension

01:15:52.290 --> 01:15:54.401
between project delivery and district

01:15:54.401 --> 01:15:56.568
sustainment that we want to break . So

01:15:56.568 --> 01:15:58.401
you're doing it for transparency

01:15:58.401 --> 01:15:58.129
reasons , is that right ? That's

01:15:58.129 --> 01:16:00.018
correct , sir . That's one of the

01:16:00.018 --> 01:16:02.073
reasons . How is it going to be more

01:16:02.073 --> 01:16:04.890
transparent ? If you , if you just have

01:16:04.890 --> 01:16:08.569
a new . Entry that says

01:16:08.569 --> 01:16:11.080
salaries . Well , Senator , it's

01:16:11.080 --> 01:16:13.247
because how are you going to know what

01:16:13.247 --> 01:16:15.413
salary goes with what project ? Well ,

01:16:15.413 --> 01:16:17.990
Senator , in the previous , uh , way

01:16:17.990 --> 01:16:20.323
that that was budgeted and appropriated ,

01:16:20.323 --> 01:16:22.657
there was no information about salaries ,

01:16:22.657 --> 01:16:24.712
none , none whatsoever . It was just

01:16:24.712 --> 01:16:24.350
the project . And so it's more

01:16:24.350 --> 01:16:26.239
transparent and then it pulls the

01:16:26.239 --> 01:16:28.250
salaries , uh , out of the projects

01:16:28.430 --> 01:16:30.597
that before it was just a project cost

01:16:30.597 --> 01:16:32.708
and there was no bifurcation . And so

01:16:32.708 --> 01:16:34.541
that's why it's more transparent

01:16:34.541 --> 01:16:36.708
because it provides more information .

01:16:36.708 --> 01:16:36.669
This is a rare case where the executive

01:16:36.669 --> 01:16:39.790
branch is , uh , excitedly sharing more

01:16:39.790 --> 01:16:42.123
information with the legislative branch .

01:16:42.123 --> 01:16:44.179
Well , will you have internal data .

01:16:45.990 --> 01:16:48.640
That shows how much salary is

01:16:48.640 --> 01:16:50.807
attributable to a particular project .

01:16:51.040 --> 01:16:53.096
Yes , Senator , we've published that

01:16:53.096 --> 01:16:55.096
information for fiscal year 26 work

01:16:55.096 --> 01:16:57.040
plan as well as the fiscal year 27

01:16:57.040 --> 01:16:59.262
budget request . Uh , we've shared that

01:16:59.262 --> 01:17:01.373
information with your committee , and

01:17:01.373 --> 01:17:03.596
we've also briefed your committee staff

01:17:03.596 --> 01:17:05.762
on the back end accounting system that

01:17:05.762 --> 01:17:07.984
can track it over the course of time so

01:17:07.984 --> 01:17:07.000
that we can keep up with project costs .

01:17:07.120 --> 01:17:09.231
Have you shared that information with

01:17:09.231 --> 01:17:11.919
all the members of Congress about the

01:17:11.919 --> 01:17:14.141
projects in their districts ? Senator ,

01:17:14.149 --> 01:17:16.169
in sharing the , the FI 27 budget

01:17:16.169 --> 01:17:18.225
request , we shared it , um , and we

01:17:18.225 --> 01:17:20.391
have published the split , uh , and we

01:17:20.391 --> 01:17:22.447
shared it with every relevant , uh ,

01:17:22.447 --> 01:17:24.613
committee in Congress and anyone who's

01:17:24.613 --> 01:17:28.290
asked . OK . So as

01:17:28.290 --> 01:17:30.234
I understand it , Mr . Secretary ,

01:17:30.234 --> 01:17:33.750
right now , There , there , there's no

01:17:33.750 --> 01:17:36.209
column for salaries and expenses .

01:17:36.549 --> 01:17:38.105
That's correct , sir . It's

01:17:38.105 --> 01:17:40.327
attributable for the districts . That's

01:17:40.327 --> 01:17:42.549
correct , right ? It's just included in

01:17:42.549 --> 01:17:44.660
each project . That's correct , sir .

01:17:44.660 --> 01:17:46.827
And now you're going to break it out .

01:17:47.410 --> 01:17:50.029
Yeah , go ahead , General . Yes , sir .

01:17:50.319 --> 01:17:52.486
Yes sir , you're correct . It'll still

01:17:52.486 --> 01:17:54.708
be by project . So before there was one

01:17:54.708 --> 01:17:56.919
lump sum for each project . Now it'll

01:17:56.919 --> 01:17:58.863
be for the project delivery of the

01:17:58.863 --> 01:18:00.919
contract as Mr . Tell spoke to , and

01:18:00.919 --> 01:18:02.919
then the internal usage labor , but

01:18:02.919 --> 01:18:04.975
it'll still be by project broken out

01:18:04.975 --> 01:18:07.086
that way . So each project you'll see

01:18:07.086 --> 01:18:09.252
what the in-house labor bill is , OK ,

01:18:09.252 --> 01:18:11.990
so . For each project .

01:18:12.870 --> 01:18:15.229
Labor and expenses will still be a line

01:18:15.229 --> 01:18:18.609
item . Senator , but in terms of the

01:18:18.609 --> 01:18:22.180
budget . Salaries and expenses will

01:18:22.180 --> 01:18:26.009
be . have its own category , is that

01:18:26.009 --> 01:18:27.953
right ? Yes sir , that's correct .

01:18:28.720 --> 01:18:31.000
How's that going to help the corps with

01:18:31.000 --> 01:18:33.399
its overall missions , uh , Senator ,

01:18:33.419 --> 01:18:35.419
it's gonna , it's going to help the

01:18:35.419 --> 01:18:37.586
Corps by incentivizing delivery . What

01:18:37.586 --> 01:18:37.270
I've heard from commanders in the field

01:18:37.270 --> 01:18:39.048
is that they're , how does that

01:18:39.048 --> 01:18:42.290
incentivize delivery ? I'm not doubting ,

01:18:42.330 --> 01:18:44.441
yeah , I just don't understand that .

01:18:44.529 --> 01:18:47.439
Well , today , uh , it is , as I said

01:18:47.439 --> 01:18:49.272
in my opening statement , when a

01:18:49.272 --> 01:18:51.328
commander , um , sees that a project

01:18:51.328 --> 01:18:53.495
that's a cash cow for that district is

01:18:53.495 --> 01:18:55.717
going to continue next year , it solves

01:18:55.717 --> 01:18:57.772
a lot of that . District commander's

01:18:57.772 --> 01:18:59.828
management challenges with his staff

01:18:59.828 --> 01:19:01.717
because the funding continues and

01:19:01.717 --> 01:19:03.883
continues . And if the funding expires

01:19:03.883 --> 01:19:06.106
quite often , Congress will appropriate

01:19:06.106 --> 01:19:05.640
additional funding . And so projects

01:19:05.640 --> 01:19:08.160
become , uh , lines of revenue for

01:19:08.160 --> 01:19:10.430
districts and someone has to make the

01:19:10.430 --> 01:19:12.652
business decisions about whether that's

01:19:12.652 --> 01:19:14.652
a good thing or a bad thing for the

01:19:14.652 --> 01:19:16.708
district . That tension , um , if we

01:19:16.708 --> 01:19:18.763
eliminate . Uh , if we take that off

01:19:18.763 --> 01:19:20.874
the table , that idea that we need to

01:19:20.874 --> 01:19:20.870
keep projects alive to keep the

01:19:20.870 --> 01:19:23.092
district healthy , it will solely focus

01:19:23.092 --> 01:19:25.092
our commanders and our workforce on

01:19:25.092 --> 01:19:27.203
delivery . That's how it incentivizes

01:19:27.203 --> 01:19:29.314
delivery . Today there's an incentive

01:19:29.314 --> 01:19:29.299
for projects to be extended or to pull

01:19:29.299 --> 01:19:31.410
projects off the shelf . It may not ,

01:19:31.410 --> 01:19:33.466
but Mr . Secretary , you've got that

01:19:33.466 --> 01:19:35.632
data right now , don't you ? Yes sir ,

01:19:35.632 --> 01:19:37.919
we do . So you can tell . Can you not

01:19:37.919 --> 01:19:40.319
want a district managers gaming the

01:19:40.319 --> 01:19:43.370
system ? Certainly we , in theory we

01:19:43.370 --> 01:19:45.481
could and we will going forward , but

01:19:45.481 --> 01:19:47.426
this question had never been asked

01:19:47.426 --> 01:19:50.310
before . What question is that ? The

01:19:50.310 --> 01:19:52.830
question about how much at scale , the

01:19:52.830 --> 01:19:54.997
question about how much of our project

01:19:54.997 --> 01:19:57.108
budgets were going towards salaries .

01:19:58.870 --> 01:20:00.939
I just don't understand how .

01:20:03.049 --> 01:20:04.993
Coming up with a new line item for

01:20:04.993 --> 01:20:08.640
salaries and expenses . is going to

01:20:08.640 --> 01:20:10.696
make our lives better if you already

01:20:10.696 --> 01:20:14.290
have the data . Anyway

01:20:15.069 --> 01:20:17.291
Senator it's not listed in the budget .

01:20:17.459 --> 01:20:19.459
You're absolutely in , in many ways

01:20:19.459 --> 01:20:21.515
you're correct . We have the ability

01:20:21.515 --> 01:20:23.237
administratively , even if you

01:20:23.237 --> 01:20:25.015
appropriate the way that you've

01:20:25.015 --> 01:20:24.500
previously appropriated , we have the

01:20:24.500 --> 01:20:26.722
ability administrative administratively

01:20:26.722 --> 01:20:28.889
to build what I would call a cardboard

01:20:28.889 --> 01:20:30.667
firewall between . Salaries and

01:20:30.667 --> 01:20:32.889
expenses and project costs . What we're

01:20:32.889 --> 01:20:35.000
asking the committee to do is help us

01:20:35.000 --> 01:20:37.167
build a brick firewall so that we're ,

01:20:37.167 --> 01:20:39.389
you know , the demonstration throughout

01:20:39.389 --> 01:20:41.500
the , the leadership in Washington is

01:20:41.500 --> 01:20:43.722
that we're serious about making sure we

01:20:43.722 --> 01:20:43.520
account for project costs and labor

01:20:43.520 --> 01:20:45.353
costs , and we can make rational

01:20:45.353 --> 01:20:47.576
decisions on each side right now , um ,

01:20:47.680 --> 01:20:49.680
you know , that commingling , if we

01:20:49.680 --> 01:20:51.347
don't go all the way with the

01:20:51.347 --> 01:20:53.569
Appropriations Committee , our partners

01:20:53.569 --> 01:20:55.624
here , in my view , that commingling

01:20:55.624 --> 01:20:55.609
will still ultimately find its way

01:20:55.609 --> 01:20:58.600
through that cardboard firewall . All

01:20:58.600 --> 01:21:02.500
right I'll be glad to read anything you

01:21:02.500 --> 01:21:05.080
want to send me . I just don't get it .

01:21:06.459 --> 01:21:08.515
Sounds to me like it's a distinction

01:21:08.515 --> 01:21:11.470
without a difference . Um ,

01:21:13.290 --> 01:21:15.346
Well , maybe that's my shortcoming .

01:21:16.450 --> 01:21:18.689
Senator Murkowski , thank you nice to

01:21:18.689 --> 01:21:20.689
see you . Nice to see you , and I'm

01:21:20.689 --> 01:21:22.911
sorry to , to keep you waiting , but it

01:21:22.911 --> 01:21:25.133
sounds like you , you , you dove into a

01:21:25.133 --> 01:21:27.300
meaty subject there . So good , good ,

01:21:27.300 --> 01:21:29.560
um , I wanna be brief . Um , we had an

01:21:29.560 --> 01:21:32.209
opportunity to visit , uh , uh .

01:21:33.359 --> 01:21:36.689
And I , I appreciate your good work ,

01:21:36.799 --> 01:21:40.660
uh , Mr . Tell , um . We've talked a

01:21:40.660 --> 01:21:43.540
lot about the situation in Juneau with

01:21:43.540 --> 01:21:45.959
Mannenhall Glacier and the Yokolop . Um ,

01:21:45.979 --> 01:21:48.500
I've talked to you about . Uh , the

01:21:48.500 --> 01:21:50.500
expertise that the mining community

01:21:50.500 --> 01:21:52.750
brings to the table , uh , in drilling

01:21:52.750 --> 01:21:54.861
and operating work in their tunnels ,

01:21:54.950 --> 01:21:57.061
um , they think that they've got some

01:21:57.061 --> 01:21:59.580
good ideas . Um , if local miners in

01:21:59.580 --> 01:22:02.310
the area can demonstrate to you that

01:22:02.310 --> 01:22:04.470
they're able to help with a long term

01:22:04.470 --> 01:22:06.581
solution in a way that saves time and

01:22:06.581 --> 01:22:08.589
money , is the cops willing to , to

01:22:08.589 --> 01:22:10.470
look into working with them and

01:22:10.470 --> 01:22:12.637
pursuing some kind of a public-private

01:22:12.637 --> 01:22:14.526
partnership ? Senator Murkowski ,

01:22:14.526 --> 01:22:16.637
absolutely . I think the situation in

01:22:16.637 --> 01:22:18.859
Juneau is unlike any we face within our

01:22:18.859 --> 01:22:21.026
portfolio . It's an uncommon situation

01:22:21.026 --> 01:22:20.839
that's gonna require an uncommon

01:22:20.839 --> 01:22:22.783
solution . We've talked about that

01:22:22.783 --> 01:22:24.839
extensively . You shared a technical

01:22:24.839 --> 01:22:27.169
paper that the miners in , uh , Juneau ,

01:22:27.529 --> 01:22:29.640
uh , provided to us . I think you got

01:22:29.640 --> 01:22:31.862
it on the airplane , and , uh , General

01:22:31.862 --> 01:22:33.807
Kelly , uh , who works for General

01:22:33.807 --> 01:22:35.696
Graham , is taking a look at that

01:22:35.696 --> 01:22:37.529
technical paper from a technical

01:22:37.529 --> 01:22:37.200
engineering perspective , and , uh , we

01:22:37.200 --> 01:22:39.422
owe you an answer , and we're gonna get

01:22:39.422 --> 01:22:39.279
it to you as soon as possible . I would

01:22:39.279 --> 01:22:41.279
say nothing's off the table when it

01:22:41.279 --> 01:22:43.223
comes to doing our best to protect

01:22:43.223 --> 01:22:42.839
Juneau . In the short , medium , and

01:22:42.839 --> 01:22:44.895
long term . Well , I appreciate that

01:22:44.895 --> 01:22:46.839
and recognizing that it's going to

01:22:46.839 --> 01:22:49.569
require some , um , some collaborative

01:22:49.569 --> 01:22:51.791
thinking , let's put it that way . Uh ,

01:22:51.791 --> 01:22:54.930
I want to go to our next , um , uh ,

01:22:54.970 --> 01:22:57.137
well , another favorite topic which of

01:22:57.137 --> 01:22:59.959
course is the port of Nome , um .

01:23:02.040 --> 01:23:04.680
Everyone is seemingly in agreement that

01:23:04.680 --> 01:23:07.720
the port of Nome is just strategic

01:23:07.720 --> 01:23:09.959
value for the homeland , for economic

01:23:09.959 --> 01:23:11.959
security , for , for , for national

01:23:11.959 --> 01:23:14.000
security . Every time I bring it up

01:23:14.000 --> 01:23:16.056
with someone in the , in the corps ,

01:23:16.056 --> 01:23:18.345
they reassure me . The Port of Nome

01:23:18.345 --> 01:23:20.567
project is priority and yet you look at

01:23:20.567 --> 01:23:22.845
the budget and it's like , where is it ?

01:23:22.845 --> 01:23:25.067
Usually , your priorities are reflected

01:23:25.067 --> 01:23:27.067
in , in your budget and , and , and

01:23:27.067 --> 01:23:29.178
then when you don't see um meaningful

01:23:29.178 --> 01:23:31.401
investment in a project , it just sends

01:23:31.401 --> 01:23:33.984
the wrong message . So um we're seeing

01:23:33.984 --> 01:23:36.151
what our adversaries are doing over on

01:23:36.151 --> 01:23:38.262
the Russian side , um , they're not ,

01:23:38.262 --> 01:23:40.151
they're not afraid to be building

01:23:40.151 --> 01:23:42.206
things up over there . Um , you have

01:23:42.206 --> 01:23:44.206
committed to me before , but I just

01:23:44.206 --> 01:23:46.428
need you to state clearly on the record

01:23:46.428 --> 01:23:48.595
in front of the committee today , um ,

01:23:48.899 --> 01:23:51.121
A direct answer to this question is the

01:23:51.121 --> 01:23:53.790
port of Nome a priority for the US Army

01:23:53.790 --> 01:23:56.439
Corps ? Senator Murkowski , absolutely ,

01:23:57.049 --> 01:23:58.993
um , it would be our nation's only

01:23:58.993 --> 01:24:01.049
Arctic port . I've been there . Um ,

01:24:01.049 --> 01:24:03.327
it's a priority for me . So absolutely ,

01:24:03.327 --> 01:24:06.040
yeah , so we all know that the project

01:24:06.040 --> 01:24:08.151
is expensive . We get it , but look ,

01:24:08.151 --> 01:24:11.819
building up in the Arctic is expensive

01:24:11.819 --> 01:24:13.652
and it's just always going to be

01:24:13.652 --> 01:24:16.100
expensive . Um , these projects are the

01:24:16.100 --> 01:24:18.322
end of the supply chain . You got short

01:24:18.322 --> 01:24:20.322
construction seasons . You have all

01:24:20.322 --> 01:24:22.156
kinds of reasons . Maybe they're

01:24:22.156 --> 01:24:24.211
excuses , but it's the reality , and

01:24:24.211 --> 01:24:26.378
it's just the reality . So , um , this

01:24:26.378 --> 01:24:29.649
project is just getting more expensive

01:24:29.649 --> 01:24:31.979
because it's just being drawn out

01:24:31.979 --> 01:24:35.859
longer , um . And I , I , I ,

01:24:35.970 --> 01:24:38.490
I don't know the extent to which the

01:24:38.490 --> 01:24:41.810
Corps has actually explored . Some kind

01:24:41.810 --> 01:24:44.850
of regulatory relief if there is any or

01:24:44.850 --> 01:24:47.450
any other ways to lessen the burden .

01:24:47.729 --> 01:24:49.562
When you have short construction

01:24:49.562 --> 01:24:51.562
seasons , you've got the logistical

01:24:51.562 --> 01:24:53.562
challenges where you've got to move

01:24:53.562 --> 01:24:55.979
everything up by , by , by ship , um ,

01:24:56.490 --> 01:24:58.546
and , and that's limited because you

01:24:58.546 --> 01:25:02.330
can't do that 365 days a year . Um ,

01:25:02.629 --> 01:25:04.509
when you have , when you have

01:25:04.509 --> 01:25:06.629
non-contiguous states like , like

01:25:06.629 --> 01:25:08.629
Alaska , Hawaii , but I mean , our

01:25:08.629 --> 01:25:10.796
challenge is , is different because we

01:25:10.796 --> 01:25:13.430
just don't have 365 days to work . Um .

01:25:14.790 --> 01:25:17.629
Again , like Juno , we've got to be

01:25:17.629 --> 01:25:19.851
thinking a little bit differently about

01:25:19.851 --> 01:25:23.270
a major project like this , and so I'm

01:25:23.270 --> 01:25:26.189
gonna task you and your team to , to

01:25:26.189 --> 01:25:29.109
really um engage with perhaps some

01:25:29.109 --> 01:25:31.220
alternatives that we might be able to

01:25:31.220 --> 01:25:33.165
look , look to where we're talking

01:25:33.165 --> 01:25:35.331
about some kind of regulatory relief .

01:25:35.640 --> 01:25:37.862
Uh , Senator Murkowski , um , this is a

01:25:37.862 --> 01:25:40.209
critical project . We've got to get it

01:25:40.209 --> 01:25:42.320
done . We got to get it done ahead of

01:25:42.320 --> 01:25:44.431
schedule , and I think we have to get

01:25:44.431 --> 01:25:46.765
it done under budget , um , my ears and ,

01:25:46.765 --> 01:25:48.876
and I , I think we can't , I think we

01:25:48.876 --> 01:25:51.098
just like in the situation with Juno in

01:25:51.098 --> 01:25:53.153
the Mendenhall Valley . Um , I think

01:25:53.153 --> 01:25:55.487
building infrastructure , not paperwork ,

01:25:55.487 --> 01:25:54.879
and many of the tools in our toolkit

01:25:54.879 --> 01:25:56.990
that are there now is going to enable

01:25:56.990 --> 01:25:59.046
us to think in new ways about how to

01:25:59.046 --> 01:26:01.120
cut through these challenges . And

01:26:01.120 --> 01:26:03.231
you're absolutely right . Building in

01:26:03.231 --> 01:26:05.176
Alaska is more difficult than most

01:26:05.176 --> 01:26:07.453
places in the United States of America .

01:26:07.453 --> 01:26:07.290
And so , Uh , we're gonna have to be

01:26:07.290 --> 01:26:09.123
creative , and I , you've got my

01:26:09.123 --> 01:26:11.346
commitment to , to do that . Well , and

01:26:11.346 --> 01:26:11.089
I appreciate that , and I , I've

01:26:11.089 --> 01:26:13.311
recognized your team that it's not just

01:26:13.311 --> 01:26:15.422
you , you got good folks around you ,

01:26:15.422 --> 01:26:17.589
but I'm also concerned about the teams

01:26:17.589 --> 01:26:20.049
that are , are working on some of these

01:26:20.049 --> 01:26:22.009
projects . I've , I've heard some

01:26:22.009 --> 01:26:24.479
concerns from folks back home , um ,

01:26:24.490 --> 01:26:27.209
about the Corps staffing levels , um .

01:26:27.930 --> 01:26:29.986
We've heard that the Alaska district

01:26:29.986 --> 01:26:32.850
has lost about 130 staff , or one third

01:26:32.850 --> 01:26:35.017
of its authorized staffing levels over

01:26:35.017 --> 01:26:37.259
the course of the past two years . Um ,

01:26:38.169 --> 01:26:41.270
and so I worry we have , we have a big ,

01:26:41.689 --> 01:26:44.490
big , big opportunity in front of us .

01:26:44.569 --> 01:26:48.209
The president has singled out Alaska

01:26:48.209 --> 01:26:51.919
with this , uh , day one . Executive

01:26:51.919 --> 01:26:55.080
order unleashing Alaska's extraordinary

01:26:55.080 --> 01:26:57.302
resource potential . That's the name of

01:26:57.302 --> 01:27:00.270
it . But with everything that is

01:27:00.270 --> 01:27:02.720
identified in that , we've got to have

01:27:02.720 --> 01:27:04.959
some level of core engagement and

01:27:04.959 --> 01:27:07.319
involvement . And so if we're really

01:27:07.319 --> 01:27:10.200
talking about a staff that is 1/3 down

01:27:10.200 --> 01:27:13.660
from where we were , I'm not sure how

01:27:14.370 --> 01:27:17.959
you , you can do what the president has

01:27:17.959 --> 01:27:21.850
tasked you all to do . So I'm , I'm ,

01:27:21.930 --> 01:27:24.209
I'm worried that we're going to see

01:27:24.209 --> 01:27:26.265
project timeline slip . You said you

01:27:26.265 --> 01:27:29.169
want Noam to come in uh ahead of

01:27:29.169 --> 01:27:31.279
schedule and , and on budget or even

01:27:31.279 --> 01:27:33.689
better , but , but I'm worried that

01:27:33.689 --> 01:27:35.890
we're gonna see timeline slip or we're

01:27:35.890 --> 01:27:38.609
gonna be turning away projects as a

01:27:38.609 --> 01:27:41.330
result of , of staff capacity that is

01:27:41.330 --> 01:27:43.850
less , less than , less than adequate .

01:27:44.189 --> 01:27:46.356
Senator Murkowski , we will let you be

01:27:46.356 --> 01:27:48.133
the first to know if , uh , the

01:27:48.133 --> 01:27:50.022
staffing situation in Alaska does

01:27:50.022 --> 01:27:51.967
anything to affect delivery of our

01:27:51.967 --> 01:27:54.300
projects . I , I would share with you a ,

01:27:54.300 --> 01:27:54.229
a piece of information I got from our

01:27:54.229 --> 01:27:56.118
Southwest division , which covers

01:27:56.118 --> 01:27:58.062
Oklahoma , Arkansas , and parts of

01:27:58.062 --> 01:28:00.910
Texas . Um , they shared a , a , a stat

01:28:00.910 --> 01:28:02.799
with me that said their workforce

01:28:02.799 --> 01:28:05.509
division-wide , um , is down 13% , but

01:28:05.509 --> 01:28:07.565
they're hitting their milestones 37%

01:28:07.565 --> 01:28:09.676
better than they were prior to that ,

01:28:09.676 --> 01:28:11.787
uh , decline in their workforce . And

01:28:11.787 --> 01:28:13.676
so I would just say that . Uh , a

01:28:13.676 --> 01:28:15.898
larger staff doesn't always mean better

01:28:15.898 --> 01:28:17.898
delivery , but we certainly have to

01:28:17.898 --> 01:28:17.549
keep our island in Alaska , which is a

01:28:17.549 --> 01:28:19.771
unique place in terms of recruiting and

01:28:19.771 --> 01:28:21.771
retention . And so I think it's all

01:28:21.771 --> 01:28:23.993
different . I think we're gonna have to

01:28:23.993 --> 01:28:23.990
rely on our commanders to make sure

01:28:23.990 --> 01:28:25.990
we're getting that right . Um , but

01:28:25.990 --> 01:28:28.101
delivery is the center of the focus ,

01:28:28.101 --> 01:28:30.157
and we've got to deliver in Alaska .

01:28:30.157 --> 01:28:32.323
Well , we do , and , and if you really

01:28:32.323 --> 01:28:34.546
are 1/3 down , I just , I can't imagine

01:28:34.546 --> 01:28:36.959
the workload that folks are under , um ,

01:28:37.270 --> 01:28:39.870
and we push them hard and they , they

01:28:39.870 --> 01:28:41.870
do amazing things and you should be

01:28:41.870 --> 01:28:43.870
proud of your , your folks and your

01:28:43.870 --> 01:28:45.870
team , um , but we got to recognize

01:28:45.870 --> 01:28:48.037
that maybe they actually have a family

01:28:48.037 --> 01:28:49.926
that they want to see . So , Mr .

01:28:49.926 --> 01:28:51.592
Chairman , thank you for your

01:28:51.592 --> 01:28:53.759
indulgence and the opportunity to keep

01:28:53.759 --> 01:28:55.703
the hearing open . Appreciate it .

01:28:55.703 --> 01:28:57.759
Thank you . I have , I have one last

01:28:57.759 --> 01:28:57.540
question , folks , and then we'll wrap

01:28:57.540 --> 01:29:01.279
this up . Um , Adam , I , you

01:29:01.279 --> 01:29:04.000
testified in front of the Senate

01:29:04.000 --> 01:29:06.100
Environmental Public Works Committee

01:29:06.560 --> 01:29:10.479
that , that the core has $15 billion on

01:29:10.479 --> 01:29:12.720
your books . It's over 6 years old . Is

01:29:12.720 --> 01:29:16.430
that right ? Uh , yes , sir . Why , why

01:29:16.430 --> 01:29:18.319
is that ? I mean , is the money .

01:29:20.529 --> 01:29:24.410
Not obligated or , I mean , Or is

01:29:24.410 --> 01:29:27.009
it projects that are closed ? I don't

01:29:27.009 --> 01:29:29.065
understand . Can you explain to me ,

01:29:29.089 --> 01:29:30.922
Senator , that's correct . I , I

01:29:30.922 --> 01:29:33.089
mentioned earlier $46 billion worth of

01:29:33.089 --> 01:29:35.569
funds on our books that are unobligated .

01:29:35.629 --> 01:29:37.890
I mean , this is any other agency ,

01:29:37.970 --> 01:29:40.250
this would be unacceptable , um , but ,

01:29:40.339 --> 01:29:42.490
but it's somehow become OK . Now how

01:29:42.490 --> 01:29:44.729
much is it again ? There's 4 $46

01:29:44.729 --> 01:29:47.689
billion total , $46 billion total , $15

01:29:47.689 --> 01:29:49.911
billion that's more than 10 years old .

01:29:49.911 --> 01:29:52.660
And quite often the funding that's aged ,

01:29:52.700 --> 01:29:54.867
and we're doing an analysis that we'll

01:29:54.867 --> 01:29:56.867
be happy to share with you and your

01:29:56.867 --> 01:29:59.033
team as soon as this hearing is over ,

01:29:59.033 --> 01:30:01.089
I've directed my team that we are to

01:30:01.089 --> 01:30:03.256
understand every color of money within

01:30:03.256 --> 01:30:05.700
that 46 billion . Um , some of it is

01:30:05.700 --> 01:30:09.020
unobligated because , um , we at some

01:30:09.020 --> 01:30:11.187
point in our past told Congress that a

01:30:11.187 --> 01:30:13.298
particular project was shovel-ready .

01:30:13.298 --> 01:30:15.576
Congress provided funding to it , like ,

01:30:15.576 --> 01:30:17.742
usually in the wake of disasters , and

01:30:17.742 --> 01:30:17.350
it turned out that the project . The

01:30:17.350 --> 01:30:19.572
study that would have built the project

01:30:19.572 --> 01:30:21.739
is 10 or 20 years old and needed to be

01:30:21.739 --> 01:30:23.628
updated . So then you get back to

01:30:23.628 --> 01:30:22.790
studying , and when you get back to

01:30:22.790 --> 01:30:24.957
studying , you get back to negotiating

01:30:24.957 --> 01:30:27.179
with the locals about what you're gonna

01:30:27.179 --> 01:30:26.509
do , what you're not going to do , how

01:30:26.509 --> 01:30:28.731
you're gonna do it , and who's going to

01:30:28.731 --> 01:30:30.676
pay for it . So quite often , This

01:30:30.676 --> 01:30:33.439
funding gets hung up in , um , in these

01:30:33.439 --> 01:30:35.606
types of round and round discussions .

01:30:35.606 --> 01:30:37.661
Sometimes the community says , hey ,

01:30:37.661 --> 01:30:37.149
we're not interested anymore .

01:30:37.680 --> 01:30:39.736
Sometimes the cops says we need more

01:30:39.736 --> 01:30:41.958
money to actually do the project . So ,

01:30:41.958 --> 01:30:43.902
the goal that we have about , uh ,

01:30:43.902 --> 01:30:46.124
putting that $46 billion to use for its

01:30:46.124 --> 01:30:48.180
intended purpose , or if it can't be

01:30:48.180 --> 01:30:50.236
used for its intended purpose , uh ,

01:30:50.236 --> 01:30:52.458
maybe putting it to use in a state like

01:30:52.458 --> 01:30:54.402
Louisiana . Um , my , my , my , my

01:30:54.402 --> 01:30:56.569
point , Mr . Secretary , I don't wanna

01:30:56.569 --> 01:30:58.569
put too fine a point on it , but my

01:30:58.569 --> 01:31:00.680
point is at some point somebody's got

01:31:00.680 --> 01:31:03.013
to make a decision . That's right , sir ,

01:31:03.013 --> 01:31:05.229
OK , and , and , and either close it

01:31:05.229 --> 01:31:08.310
out and put it somewhere else . Don't

01:31:08.310 --> 01:31:10.421
just leave it hanging around . You're

01:31:10.421 --> 01:31:12.643
absolutely right . Did I understand you

01:31:12.643 --> 01:31:16.270
to say earlier ? That the corps doesn't

01:31:16.509 --> 01:31:19.189
doesn't know how many total projects

01:31:19.189 --> 01:31:21.799
you have . That's correct , sir . And

01:31:21.799 --> 01:31:24.259
it could be between 1000 and

01:31:25.919 --> 01:31:28.030
10,000 . I think it's probably closer

01:31:28.030 --> 01:31:30.086
to 10,000 , but that's correct . But

01:31:30.086 --> 01:31:32.919
you don't know . We don't know . But we

01:31:32.919 --> 01:31:35.450
have a counter . I'm sure we have

01:31:35.450 --> 01:31:37.450
someone who's counting them today .

01:31:37.450 --> 01:31:40.250
We've hired someone just to . Unearth

01:31:40.250 --> 01:31:42.306
how many authorized projects are out

01:31:42.306 --> 01:31:44.528
there . There's a provision in the , in

01:31:44.528 --> 01:31:46.528
Worder that says , hey , go look at

01:31:46.528 --> 01:31:45.850
projects that haven't received funding ,

01:31:45.970 --> 01:31:48.649
haven't been alive , or have had a

01:31:48.649 --> 01:31:50.760
pulse for 20 years and recommend them

01:31:50.760 --> 01:31:52.760
for de-authorization , but we don't

01:31:52.760 --> 01:31:54.816
know the total universe , and that's

01:31:54.816 --> 01:31:56.927
unfortunate . All right . All right ,

01:31:56.927 --> 01:31:58.927
thank you all for being here . I'll

01:31:58.927 --> 01:32:01.620
keep the , uh , hearing record open for

01:32:01.620 --> 01:32:04.649
one week . Committee members who would

01:32:04.649 --> 01:32:06.705
like to submit written questions for

01:32:06.705 --> 01:32:10.180
the record need to do so by 5:00

01:32:10.580 --> 01:32:13.279
p.m. Wednesday , May

01:32:13.279 --> 01:32:17.049
twenty-seventh . Um

01:32:17.779 --> 01:32:20.112
And we appreciate your time . Thank you .

01:32:20.112 --> 01:32:20.299
Thank you , sir .