U.S. Senator Katie Britt’s Alabama Priorities Included in Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan

Recommended Budget Includes Funding for Mobile Bay, Selma Riverbank Stabilization, and Inland Waterway Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) attended a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee hearing to discuss the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget Proposal for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. Witnesses included the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, D. Lee Forsgren, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, Lt. Gen. William H. Graham, Jr.

In the hearing, Senator Britt emphasized recent failures at Demopolis, Holt, and Wilson Locks, saying, “When these things happen, it disrupts our entire economies. I mean, we saw it negatively impact our [agriculture] industry, negatively impact our energy industry, negatively impact our aerospace industry.”

Senator Britt, who led the entire Alabama delegation in a letter to Army Corps leadership last fall expressing their concerns over these major lock failures on key waterways, highlighted the Army Corps’ recent work plan: “I’m also pleased to see that the work plan budgeted for repairs in Demopolis and Holt and also appreciate what you’re doing in Coffeeville as well. I think it is imperative that we actually fix these things before they become a problem.”

Last month, the Army Corps of Engineers released its Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan, which the Corps uses to prioritize its civil works projects and funding needs. Senator Britt’s advocacy helped secure significantly higher levels of funding for critical Alabama priorities including the Mobile Harbor, the Selma Bank Stabilization Project, and operations and management funding for infrastructure on Alabama’s waterways.

The Senator continued, saying, “There is no reason for us to get to the point of failure. We should be taking a look and making responsible, upgrades and maintenance on the front end so that we don’t get to this point.”

Lt. Gen. Graham addressed Senator Britt’s concerns on Alabama’s inland waterway infrastructure: “[O]n Black Warrior Tenn-Tom, we are not providing a reliable transportation system that your constituents can count on, we own that. I stood down at the sill, Demopolis, and I had all of our smart engineers from around the nation there, and we were trying to figure out how could we have seen, that that Sill might give way … They got really inventive up at Holt so that we could get that back in operation with the temporary fix, and then we have the long term fix handled.”

In her next line of questioning, Senator Britt touted the success of Mobile Bay’s deepwater port project, saying, “This is a project that has been on time and under budget.”

Lt. Gen. Graham responded, saying, “On Mobile Harbor, this is going to be a great year on the deepening. The key to success (is) stable, predictable funding.”

Senator Britt’s final line of questioning focused on her advocacy for beneficial use dredging in Mobile Harbor. In the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) FY 2024 bill, Senator Britt secured a provision that directed the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure no less than 70% of suitable dredged material would be used for beneficial use. “This is critically important. We can do two things: We can make sure that we have the economic engine that is the Port of Mobile, and we responsibly preserve our natural resources. It is imperative this dredged material could be used for habitat restoration, for beach nourishment, for wetland creation,” Senator Britt reiterated in the hearing.

“Senator, we are committed to beneficial use of dredged materials as probably the preferred method to dispose of our dredging material. And we are committed both on the permitting side and on the project design side to maximize the use of beneficial use materials,” stated Acting Assistant Secretary Forsgren.

“Senator, what we’re doing down in Dauphin Island is, I think, exemplary. What Mobile’s district is doing with a programmatic agreement so that we can get that all up upfront, on the permitting and we treat those clean sand, clean silt as a resource for the environment and for in terms of the beach protection as well,” Lt. Gen. Graham responded.

“I am absolutely not going to back off of this and believe that we can do both things,” concluded Senator Britt.

The Senator’s line of questioning can be viewed here.

###