USACE Supports Administration’s Infrastructure Initiative

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fully supports the administration’s Infrastructure Initiative that was announced yesterday to address the needs of the nation’s infrastructure, USACE said in its latest announcement. 

Underperformance is evident across many sectors of infrastructure. The traditional civil works funding approach is not sustainable to meet the nation’s infrastructure needs, according to USACE.

The innovative approaches and changes proposed in the Infrastructure Initiative will potentially provide USACE with opportunities to apply new financing approaches and streamline business processes to meet the current and future water resources infrastructure needs of the nation.

The Infrastructure Initiative also provides USACE with the opportunity to further modernize the organization and use its engineering expertise to better meet the nation’s water resources infrastructure needs.

USACE is developing a work plan that identifies these types of improvements that do not require legislation but could be accomplished through policy or administrative changes.

The primary focus of USACE as related to the Infrastructure Initiative is on five areas that would directly involve Civil Works missions:

• Water Resources – remove barriers and create innovative delivery models;
• Inland Waterways – promote opportunities for non-federal investments;
• Incentives – incentivize non-federal investments through grants;
• Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) – incentivize non-federal investments through low-cost federal loans;
• Permitting – streamline permitting processes.