Army Corps nominee says navigation, flood control and ecosystem restoration will guide prioritization; commits to local coordination on backlog and transfers

Adam Tell, President Trump's nominee to be Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on May 14 that he would prioritize the Army Corps of Engineers' congressionally defined missions—navigation, flood risk management and aquatic ecosystem restoration—when allocating limited resources and setting project priorities.

Tell, introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty, said the Corps carries broad responsibilities and cited specific program scale: maintaining some 13,000 miles of coastal navigation channels, 12,000 miles of inland waterways, over 1,000 harbors and roughly 745 dams. He described long experience with disaster response and recovery and said, "life and safety and the protection of property, has to always be a primary concern as these issues are balanced."

Why it matters: Senators pressed Tell about a large number of ongoing feasibility studies and authorized but unfunded projects, coastal versus inland flooding priorities, the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund’s distribution, and specific local projects including the Los Angeles County drainage system, DeSoto County wastewater needs, and Alaska priorities such as Port of Nome and Juneau glacial-lake flooding.

Prioritization and criteria: Tell said prioritization should "follow the law" and weigh statutory missions, benefits versus costs, and life‑safety considerations. He committed to improving interagency coordination and to working with congressional offices when projects appear to be stalled.

Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) and ports: Senators from California and other coastal states sought assurances that HMTF obligations and recent statutory directions would be followed. Tell said he would follow the law and work with the committee and local stakeholders to ensure the trust fund is managed in accordance with congressional intent and relevant statutes.

Local projects and transfers: Senator Alex Padilla discussed the Los Angeles County drainage area system and a county effort to assume responsibility for some Corps‑maintained sections. Tell said he generally supports transferring authority to local entities that have capacity, while acknowledging the need to study system effects and to protect regional interests.

Drought, water-supply authorities and western projects: Senators from Western states asked Tell to implement congressional changes permitting different operational authorities in drought conditions and to expedite projects such as Winslow and Rio de Flag in Arizona. Tell pledged to follow congressional direction, work with local officials and expedite reports when required.

Alaska and expedited problem-solving: Senator Dan Sullivan urged a rapid Corps response to glacial-lake outburst flooding in Juneau and to strategic Arctic infrastructure such as the Port of Nome. Tell acknowledged Alaska's unique challenges and committed to bringing Corps expertise to bear and to coordinate with governors and local stakeholders.

Next steps: Senators will provide more detailed questions for the record. Tell committed to providing timely responses and to working with Corps districts, state and local partners to address project backlogs and transfers if confirmed.