At A Glance: Proposed Water Projects Deauthorization
- The Directive: Notice published in the Federal Register targeting inactive “ghost projects” for cancellation.
- The Legal Framework: Mandated by Section 301 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020, amended by WRDA 2024.
- Target Criteria: Inactive construction projects authorized before June 10, 2014, lacking local support, funding, or modern relevance.
- Public Window: A 90-day public comment period is open now through August 19, 2026.
- Strategic Intent: Direct alignment with the ‘Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ initiative to eliminate regulatory backlog.
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle on May 21 authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to publish a Notice of Proposed Deauthorization List of water resources projects in the Federal Register.
The Federal Register Notice with the proposed deauthorization list was published May 21 and can be found at Federal Register Docket No. 2026-10218. Additional information regarding the criteria can be found through the USACE Water Resources Development Act portal.
“Over the years, Congress has directed the Corps of Engineers to take on thousands and thousands of projects under the Army Civil Works program. But many of these projects-on-paper were not viable, never funded, or so old and dormant that no one even remembers why they were put there in the first place. That’s why we are doing some much needed spring cleaning in partnership with leaders like Congressman Mike Collins,” said Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle. “There are billions of dollars in authorizations tied up in these ghost projects, and today’s announcement will help deliver on President Trump’s historic common-sense agenda and ensure that we are laser focused on Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork.”
The proposed deauthorization list includes water resources development projects and separable elements that have been identified for deauthorization in accordance with Section 301 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 as amended by WRDA 2024 (33 U.S.C. 579d-2).
As amended, the law specifies how USACE should develop a deauthorization list of inactive projects to submit to Congress and provide an opportunity for public input on the list prior to submission. The intent is to identify water resources development projects and separable elements of projects that are no longer viable for construction due to: (1) a lack of local support, (2) a lack of available federal or non-federal resources, or (3) an authorizing purpose that is no longer relevant or feasible. This process is intended to identify projects for Congress to deauthorize and allow the continued authorization of projects that remain viable for construction.
33 U.S.C. 579d-2 further provides that the Secretary of the Army shall develop a Proposed Deauthorization List that identifies water resources development projects and separable elements of projects, authorized for construction before June 10, 2014, that meet one of the three criteria listed above. Projects and separable elements on the proposed deauthorization list also are those that (1) planning, design or construction was not initiated before January 4, 2025; or (2) planning, design, or construction was initiated before January 4, 2025, but for which no funds, federal or non-federal, were obligated for planning, design or construction of the project or separable element of the project during the current fiscal year or any of the 10 preceding fiscal years.
USACE is soliciting comments from the public on the list for 90 calendar days. The public comment period will end August 19.
Written comments, identified by Docket ID No. COE-2026-0034, may be submitted by any of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
- Email: WRDA2024@usace.army.mil. Include Docket ID No. COE-2026-0034 in the subject line of the message.
- Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: Sharon Sartor, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 441 G St NW, Washington, DC 20314.
- Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to security requirements, comments cannot be received by hand delivery or courier.
The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works will consider the comments received during the public comment period and will publish a Final Deauthorization List in the Federal Register and submit the list to Congress. The projects on the final deauthorization list will remain authorized until Congress acts to deauthorize them.
