• Continuing Authorities Program: Streamlining business processes, identifying best management practices, and delegating decision making to improve project execution.
• Cost Sharing Agreements: Streamlining business processes and identifying best management practices to improve execution of Project Partnership Agreements (PPA), Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreements (FCSA), and Design Agreements (DA).
• Water Supply Delegations: Working with ASA(CW) to develop water supply delegations.
• Non-Federal Implementation: Seeking to leverage willing non-Federal capabilities to deliver project sooner.
• Additional streamlining & delegations: Pursuing additional streamlining and delegations.
• Emergency Supplemental Projects: Taking Lessons Learned from Supplemental Program and making them Enterprise Best Practices.

• Delegated 23 authorities to lower levels
• Streamlined processes to execute projects with a lighter Federal touch
• Implemented Risk-Informed Decision-Making across the Corps

• Public Private Partnership (P3) Pilot Program: Development of P3 pilot projects and identify additional pilots. Nominate Projects Today!
• Federal Loans – Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP): Implement program and issue loans, subject to appropriations.
• Innovative Funding Partnerships: Increased flexibilities, expanding available tools and consideration of new methods for efficient and streamlined delivery.

P3 Pilot Program

There are three pilot projects in the program:

• Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project (under construction) - protect Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo metro area during times of extreme flooding using a variety of flood protection measures.
• Brazos Island Harbor Channel Improvement Project (designated pilot, ready for implementation) - deepen the Port of Brownsville ship channel from 42 feet to 52 feet, among other features.
• Los Angeles (LA) River Ecosystem Restoration Project (designated pilot) - restore ecosystems, provide improved water quality and recreation features for a span of 11 miles along the LA River near downtown LA.

USACE Civil Works is inviting input on conceptual P3 delivery of specific USACE Civil Works projects. Project nominations can be submitted at any time. Nominations will be accepted on USACE authorized or likely to be authorized projects. 

More information about the P3 Pilot Program, including project status, can be found here.

Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP)

USACE has developed the Federal loan program CWIFP authorized by WIFIA.

The USACE has completed development of draft program and fee rules, completed development of all products necessary to fully develop the loan program and has been worked with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) though a Memorandum of Understanding to streamline the program development.

More information on CWIFP can be found here.

• Mitigation: Revisit Mitigation Rule, based on partner input and lessons learned, revise as appropriate
• Educate and Inform: Review all existing guidance and refresh as needed
• Permitting: Renew Nationwide Permits and modify as necessary
• Waters of the U.S.: Continue to work with the EPA to develop clear and appropriate implementation materials

Environmental Reviews and Permits:

• USACE published a Regulatory Guidance Letter clarifying the time frames for Tribes, states, and the EPA to act on requests for Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification for discharges into Waters of the United States authorized by Department of the Army permits.

Modifications to Civil Works Projects (Section 408):

• Established single point of contact for incoming Section 408 actions at each District.
• Completed local operating procedures to better synchronize the processing of actions requiring Regulatory Permits and Section 408 permissions.
• Status information for individual permit requests are now available on the USACE public website.
• Under revised guidance issued in 2018, many Districts are now developing Categorical Permissions to expedite the authorization of minor activities having low potential to adversely affect the operation or performance of the Federal project.
• These changes provide a more straightforward and simplified approach for entry into the USACE review process, streamline the processing of actions requiring Section 408 permissions and better synchronize reviews for those actions also requiring a Regulatory Permit.

Mitigation:

• USACE published a Regulatory Guidance Letter providing guidance on credit release schedules for mitigation banks and ensuring equivalency in service areas for mitigation banks and in-lieu fee programs.