Corps of Engineers to focus on supply chain problems, climate change with $14B in allocated spending

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is receiving $14 billion in funding to focus on projects dedicated to tackling supply chain issues and climate change, some of which has been allocated from the bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year.

More than 500 projects that include all 50 states and two territories will be covered under the allocation of funds secured from the bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year in addition to other appropriations, according to a White House readout. 

The White House readout said that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be allocating $4 billion to tackle supply chain problems, including “to expand capacity at key ports, allow passage of larger vessels, and further enhance the country’s ability to move goods.”

Among some of the projects that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers intends to tackle with the allocated funding include expanding Norfolk Harbor, Va., and certain channels of the Port of Long Beach, Calif.

The Army said that the funding it received through the bipartisan infrastructure legislation was a part of a larger means of funding it secured and would use for fiscal 2022.

“The Army will work with community partners to leverage these historic Civil Works funds for investments that strengthen national supply chains through our commercial navigation mission, help communities impacted by climate change to increase their resiliency, advance environmental justice, and invest in communities that have too often been left behind,” Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Michael L. Connor said in a statement on Wednesday.

The administration also touted funding aimed at ecosystems like the Everglades in Florida, which will get $1.1 billion for protections, including from climate change. 

And it said that USACE will use bipartisan law funds to help communities become more prepared for flooding, including 15 projects for coastal communities and an additional 15 projects for inland communities. 

The coastal communities projects will get $645 million while the inland projects will get $1.7 billion. These include projects aimed at reducing risks in places like Louisiana, Virginia and Arizona. 

In addition, the administration highlighted additional funds from a separate disaster relief bill aimed at helping communities prepare for and recover from extreme weather events. 

The announcement comes as the administration is eager to highlight its achievements in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as its major social and climate spending agenda remains stalled in Congress amid opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)

The White House has also been eager to tout its work in addressing supply chain issues, which plagued the administration for months, especially going into the busy holiday season as Americans worried whether certain goods would still be on the shelves and packages would be delivered on time.