USACE ditching 'extraneous regulations' to fast-track Pacific projects

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is adopting a new policy designed to facilitate easier execution of critical projects in the Pacific area, removing what it considered stumbling blocks.

The USACE announced the new policy, dubbed “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork," amid plans to accelerate naval activities in the region.

Adam R. Telle, assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, said the strategy dubbed will streamline the permitting process and “eliminate extraneous regulations and paperwork that slow USACE’s delivery of civil works projects and programs.”

The USACE's announcement did not identity the specific rules that it seeks to bypass. Existing regulations require an environmental study and public commenting process, among others.

On July 3, 2025, the USACE announced its final rule officially removing its outdated implementing regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act, and replacing them with new procedures designed to expedite infrastructure permitting, following the repeal of previous Council on Environmental Quality guidelines

“One of the plan’s initiatives calls for increased dredging capacity through maintenance dredging, a critical process that directly strengthens the navigation mission in the Pacific by ensuring the safe passage of shipping, commercial and military vessels across Hawaii and U.S. Pacific territories,” the USACE said in a press release.

The new policy authorizes USACE commanders to “take informed risks in advancing critical water resources projects and programs to completion faster and at less cost.”

The agency said its Honolulu district oversees inspections and maintenance of 27 federal navigation harbors across a vast 15,000-sqmi region, which includes Hawaii, Guam, the Northern Marianas and American Samoa.

Among the USACE’s pending projects in Guam is the construction of a concrete seawall at Trinchera Beach to address the coastline erosion along Hagatna’s shoreline.

In August last year, the agency reissued the draft integrated feasibility report and environmental assessment for the Hagatna project that will cover 2,100-foot segment of South Marine Corps Drive.

Telle said the Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork initiative will enable the agency to focus on its core civil work tasks, cut the non-core programs and direct funding to priority water resources projects.

“Continuous Army transformation is about rapidly delivering war winning capabilities to the Army today, not years in the future. But that’s not all; we’re also transforming at home, too,"  Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll said.

“I’m incredibly proud of the ‘Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ transformation initiative the Army Civil Works and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers teams recently unveiled. BINP will build and strengthen American infrastructure across our nation, increasing resiliency and providing tangible, long-lasting value for the American people.”

USACE said the policy changes will also bring greater transparency and accountability for the program to the American public, project partners and sponsors, industry, and the elected leaders who make the annual funding decisions for the civil works program.

The plan consists of 27 transformation initiatives grouped under five categories: maximizing the ability to deliver national infrastructure, cutting red tape, focus on efficiency, transparency & accountability and prioritization.  

The initiatives do not affect USACE execution of its emergency response support to natural and manmade disasters.

"The U.S. Army’s civil works program has been an invaluable cornerstone for more than 200 years. ‘Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ will return USACE to a focus on its core missions and ensure the enterprise continues to be the most trusted national resource delivering water resources solutions,” Telle said.

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