Senate Committee Asked Adam Tell How He Would Manage Army Corps Civil Works, Permitting and Resilience

Adam Tell, President Trump’s nominee to be assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that, if confirmed, he would prioritize permitting clarity, project delivery, coordination with stakeholders and resilience to extreme weather.

Tell said the Corps’ historical navigation mission has expanded to include flood control and environmental restoration, and he emphasized coordination across federal agencies to ensure consistency in water resources projects. He told the committee he had worked on disaster recovery and Congressional appropriations roles and cited experience in Mississippi’s Hurricane Katrina recovery and in Senate appropriations work.

Senators pressed Tell on several recurring civil-works concerns. Questions focused on speeding Army Corps construction projects, reducing bureaucratic delays, and incorporating extreme-weather projections into project planning. Tell referenced the Supreme Court’s Sackett decision (2020) — cited during questioning — and said EPA and the Corps were working to provide regulatory clarity following that ruling.

Members raised localized infrastructure needs and long-standing project backlogs. Tell committed to take a “hard look” at navigation channels such as the Port of Catoosa, which senators said needs study and potential deepening from 9 feet to 12 feet to accommodate changing vessel traffic and reduce costs for agricultural shipping. He also pledged to coordinate with state delegations on basin studies (for example the White River) and to work on timely execution of studies and follow-on actions.

Florida senators pressed Tell on delays and opacity in permitting and on beach renourishment and dredging, noting disputes over temporary easements and property access for nourishment projects. Tell said he would seek creative solutions that respect landowner interests and public protection, and he welcomed visits to district offices to review problems firsthand.

Lawmakers discussed formerly used defense sites (FUDS) and unexploded ordnance on tribal lands and near communities. Tell said resolution of those problems will require coordination between the assistant secretary positions responsible for installations, energy and environment and the civil works office, and he committed to working with senators to accelerate assessments and remediation where practical.

Tell emphasized that the Corps plays a key role in disaster response, particularly debris removal under the National Response Framework, and cited Hurricane Helen recovery work. He pledged to improve transparency in permitting, move serial processes to parallel where appropriate, and increase communication with stakeholders to reduce holdups. He also committed to working with tribal, state and local partners on flood prevention and mitigation programs.

Tell answered committee questions affirmatively about cooperation with congressional oversight and offered to provide follow-up briefings and work with members on project-specific issues.