Latest news with #USACE
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Feedback sought on proposed changes to Percy Priest Reservoir
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District is seeking input on proposed changes to the J. Percy Priest Dam and Reservoir manual, which could possibly alter the flow and drawdown of the reservoir. According to a release, the Corps is seeking to revise the 1998 manual to include current project operations under existing Congressional authorizations. Potential changes include updating historical data from 1970 to 2025, naming conventions, forecasting methods, structural features, watershed characteristics, communication networks and changes from previously approved EAs, according to the district. Staying safe on Tennessee rivers as outdoor recreation ramps up The Corps claims the revisions are needed for the optimal management of the reservoir as the manual 'contains project data, background information, the plan for day-to-day and emergency water management and the effects of the plan on authorized project purposes.' There are two main proposed changes for the reservoir: J. Percy Priest is currently operating under a seasonal flow regime with fewer releases from January to May during crop season. The seasonal flow was initially implemented to reduce the potential for flooding of farmland downstream. USACE is exploring alterations to this seasonal reduction in releases. Currently J. Percy Priest Reservoir experiences a drawdown to winter pool levels beginning in October and targeted to end in early November. USACE is exploring a delay in the timing of this drawdown through reservoir operations. ⏩ There will be a public meeting at the Hermitage library on James Kay Lane on June 12, 2025 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Corps is seeking comments from public, federal, state, local agencies and officials, Native Americans and any interested parties. Comments can be sent by email to CorpsLRNPlanningPublicCom@ through June 27, 2025. Written comments can be sent to: Attn: CELRM-PMP, Capt. LawsDepartment of the ArmyU.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District110 9th Avenue South, Room A-405Nashville, Tennessee 37203 The Percy Priest Reservoir is one of four major flood risk management reservoirs for the Cumberland River and spreads throughout Cannon, Davidson, Rutherford and Wilson counties within the Stones River Watershed. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas, Louisiana Gulf Coast ports post mixed results for April
Container flows in April rose in Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas, while the Port of New Orleans reported declines in containerized and breakbulk movements. Port Houston handled 387,478 twenty-foot equivalent units in April, a 20% year-over-year increase compared to the same month in 2024. Year to date, the port has handled 1.45 million TEUs, a 4% year-over-year increase. 'We are staying busy across our facilities, working with our partners to make sure every piece of cargo and every box moves quickly to get to its final destination,' Charlie Jenkins, CEO of Port Houston, said in a news release. 'We are keenly aware of the uncertainty in the market today and are closely monitoring cargo volumes.'Loaded containerized imports rose 21% year over year to 177,733 TEUs, and loaded exports increased 16% year over year to 138,810 TEUs. For April, Port Houston's steel imports increased 40% year over year to 403,684 tons. Exports of steel decreased 11,362% to 37,659 tons. Imports of containerized refrigerated cargo was up 46% in April compared to the same month in 2024, corresponding with peak season for many citrus and other fruits, port officials said. Port Houston recorded 1,029 total ship and barge calls in April, a 4% increase from the same month last U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Port Houston have been addressing the need to evolve the area's busy shipping complex over the past several years with a massive, ongoing project to expand the Houston Ship Channel. That project just got another financial boost from USACE, which allocated $131 million in total for 2025 work at Port Houston. It's one of two southeast Texas waterway projects that received funding during this round. USACE recently allocated $33 million to the Houston Ship Channel Expansion, known as Project 11. The funding includes $98 million to ensure the Houston Ship Channel is dredged and operational, and $33 million is going toward the Project 11 channel expansion project. Port Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of nearly 200 private and public industrial terminals along the 52-mile-long manmade Houston Ship Channel, which connects the port to the Gulf of Mexico. Project 11 is a $1.1 billion expansion of the Houston Ship Channel to accommodate an additional 1,400 vessels per year. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2028. The Port of Corpus Christi moved almost 16.8 million tons of cargo in April, a 3.7% year-over-year increase from the same month in 2024. Exports of crude oil totaled 9.9 million tons for the month, a 7.6% increase from the same month last year. Shipments of petroleum totaled 5.2 million tons during April, an 11% year-over-year increase. Dry bulk cargo decreased 12% year over year to 642,433 tons in April, while chemical shipments rose 1% year over year to 289,231 Port of Corpus Christi had 371 barge calls in April, a 9% year-over-year decrease. Ships at the port totaled 200 during the month, a 4% increase from the same year-ago period. The Port of New Orleans' container volume declined 1.2% year over year in April to 41,305 TEUs. Beakbulk cargo movements recorded a 19% year-over-year decrease in April to 91,961 short tons, led by shipments of steel, natural rubber, bagged cargo and project shipments. 'Top container exports included plastic resins, followed by various chemicals and synthetic rubber,' Kimberly Curth, Port of New Orleans spokeswoman, told FreightWaves in an email. 'Imports included coffee and various chemicals, followed by furniture.' Fiscal year to date, the Port of New Orleans has handled 923,995 short tons of break bulk cargo, a 6% year-over-year increase. The port's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The post Texas, Louisiana Gulf Coast ports post mixed results for April appeared first on FreightWaves.
National Post
27-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
AECOM awarded a more than $80 million environmental remediation contract for Vandenberg Space Force Base in California
Article content DALLAS — AECOM (NYSE: ACM), the trusted global infrastructure leader, today announced that it has been awarded an Optimized Remediation Contract (ORC) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Los Angeles District to provide environmental remediation services at Vandenberg Space Force Base on California's Central Coast. The 10-year, $81.3-million single award is one of the largest optimized remediation contracts awarded by the USACE Los Angeles District, reinforcing AECOM's position as a trusted partner in delivering mission-critical solutions. Article content Article content 'We are honored to expand our long-standing relationship with the Department of Defense and lead this critical work at Vandenberg Space Force Base,' said Frank Sweet, chief executive of AECOM's global Environment business. 'Through innovative, sustainable remediation solutions, we're helping to restore natural systems and deliver impactful environmental outcomes that align with our clients' long-term goals.' The contract includes a range of remediation and management activities at 60 sites throughout the base. Additionally, state-of-the-art digital tools will be utilized to enhance data collection, analysis, and reporting, resulting in an optimized approach to site remediation. Article content 'As the sole contractor for this project, our team's deep experience delivering complex environmental solutions across California and for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uniquely positions us to support this mission,' said Matt Crane, Chief Executive of AECOM's U.S. West Region. 'By leveraging the principles of our Sustainable Legacies strategy and applying cutting-edge digital innovations, we are accelerating progress toward lasting restoration at Vandenberg Space Force Base.' Article content About AECOM AECOM (NYSE: ACM) is the global infrastructure leader, committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities, we solve our clients' complex challenges in water, environment, energy, transportation and buildings. Our teams partner with public- and private-sector clients to create innovative, sustainable and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2024. Learn more at Article content Forward Looking Statements All statements in this communication other than statements of historical fact are 'forward-looking statements' for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives for future operations, profitability, strategic value creation, capital allocation strategy including stock repurchases, risk profile and investment strategies, and any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, and the expected financial and operational results of AECOM. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in any of our forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results, performance and achievements, or industry results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following: our business is cyclical and vulnerable to economic downturns and client spending reductions; potential government shutdowns, changes in administration or other funding directives and circumstances that may cause governmental agencies to modify, curtail or terminate our contracts; losses under fixed-price contracts; limited control over operations that run through our joint venture entities; liability for misconduct by our employees or consultants; changes in government laws, regulations and policies, including failure to comply with laws or regulations applicable to our business; maintaining adequate surety and financial capacity; potential high leverage and inability to service our debt and guarantees; ability to continue payment of dividends; exposure to political and economic risks in different countries, including tariffs and trade policies, geopolitical events, and conflicts; inflation, currency exchange rates and interest rate fluctuations; changes in capital markets and stock market volatility; retaining and recruiting key technical and management personnel; legal claims and litigation; inadequate insurance coverage; environmental law compliance and adequate nuclear indemnification; unexpected adjustments and cancellations related to our backlog; partners and third parties who may fail to satisfy their legal obligations; managing pension costs; AECOM Capital real estate development projects; cybersecurity issues, IT outages and data privacy; risks associated with the benefits and costs of the sale of our Management Services and self-perform at-risk civil infrastructure, power construction and oil and gas businesses, including the risk that any purchase adjustments from those transactions could be unfavorable and result in any future proceeds owed to us as part of the transactions could be lower than we expect; as well as other additional risks and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements set forth in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement. Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contact: Brendan Ranson-Walsh Senior Vice President, Global Communications 213-996-2367 Article content Article content Article content
The Herald Scotland
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Dozens of USACE lakes impacted by closures amid DOGE, Trump cuts
Campgrounds, beaches, boat ramps and access points are among the sites being closed at lakes managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). "Decisions to make operational changes at recreation areas are not made lightly, and we understand those decisions may be disruptive to the public's plans," USACE spokesperson Gene Pawlik told USA TODAY. A few regional offices have pointed directly to staff shortages as the reason for limited public access to recreation sites going into the summer. "We continue to reassess our current operating picture as impacts from resignations and the hiring freeze are realized," Pawlik said. The corps manages 400 lake and river projects in 43 states, making it one of the leading providers of outdoor recreation. The agency says it welcomes more than 260 million visitors to its sites each year, with many located within 50 miles of major metropolitan centers from coast to coast. How is the US Army Corps of Engineers impacted by DOGE? Layoffs of tens of thousands of workers across the federal government began almost immediately after Trump assumed office earlier this year, part of a push by Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk to shrink the federal government and drastically reduce spending. The administration established the Department of Government Efficiency to spearhead the effort. Trump executed a presidential order Jan. 20 placing a hiring freeze on civilian workers in all executive departments and agencies, which has been extended to July 15. Though the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a branch of the U.S. military that primarily builds and permits infrastructure, it is a civilian workforce, and has been subject to the hiring freeze. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in March notified 1,068 employees (about 3% of its civilian workforce) of their eligibility for the Trump administration's buyout program for federal workers as part of a massive downsizing of various federal agencies. More than 100,000 federal employees lost their jobs in the first two months of Trump's second administration through layoffs of probationary employees, who are new to government work or recently moved between agencies or accepted a promotion. Additionally, about 75,000 federal employees accepted the original buyout offer Trump extended shortly after he took office in January. Which lakes are impacted by closures? Here's how to check With Memorial Day weekend ushering in the start of late-spring and early summer boating, camping trips and hiking, some favorite destinations could be off-limits for the time being. Though there are some scheduled closures and weather-based disruptions, more than 40 lakes are impacted by full or partial closures amid the agency's grappling with resignations and ongoing hiring freeze. The USACE maintains an ongoing map and list of sites with full or partial closures, including those due to flooding or storm damage and scheduled renovations. Lakes with multiple site and access closures or other service disruptions include: Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas and Missouri Norfork Lake, Arkansas Black Butte Lake, California Lake Lanier, Georgia Albeni Falls Dam, Idaho Coralville Lake, Iowa Council Grove Lake, Kansas Barren River Lake, Kentucky Nolin River Lake, Kentucky Rough River Lake, Kentucky Arkabutla Lake, Mississippi Harlan County Lake, Nebraska Robert S. Kerr Reservoir, Oklahoma Webbers Falls Reservoir, Oklahoma Closures helps USACE staff other sites, spokesperson say Pawlik told USA TODAY the USACE is scaling back operations at some sites in order to prioritize visitor safety and well-being, as well as ensure minimum staffing requirements at other locations. Full closures are a last resort, he added. "By concentrating available staffing at fewer sites, USACE can ensure those sites are able to provide visitors with the full range of services and opportunities expected at those recreation areas," Pawlik said, adding that changes are made on a project-by-project basis. Some are required due to resource limitations such as staff shortages, while others are due to scheduled maintenance, outages or what he called "other resource restrictions." Contributing: James Sergent, USA TODAY. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
USACE launches new website after closing dozens of recreation areas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) launched its Recreation Operational Status website to keep the public informed about the operational status of USACE recreation areas nationwide. This comes after the USACE announced in April that dozens of campsites across the Midwest would close on May 15. Campgrounds and visitor centers at federal lakes are closing amid Trump's budget cuts You can visit the website and click on any state for the current overall status of a recreation area – and for the status of campgrounds, boat ramps and beaches owned and operated by the USACE within the area. You can visit the new website by clicking here. 'The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages staffing for our recreation mission to ensure we meet the needs of nearly 2,600 recreation areas across 400 lakes and waterways,' said Stephen L. Hill, USACE director of Operations and Regulatory Programs. 'Public safety and service quality continue to be our highest priorities. As we manage available resources, some sites may experience reduced operations or temporary closures. These difficult decisions are based on our ability to ensure visitors have a safe and consistent experience. 'These decisions are not made lightly because we understand the importance of USACE recreation areas to the public and their vacation plans, especially during the summer season.' Campsites, recreation areas across Kansas and Missouri to close in May, Army says The new website shows the status of recreation areas and associated campgrounds, boat ramps and beaches as either fully operational, partially open or closed. The USACE said the website will be regularly updated with any status changes. USACE districts are maximizing available staff resources to keep recreation sites at least partially open and to ensure that the full closure of any site is a last resort, the USACE said. Visitors are encouraged to check the current operational status of USACE recreation areas for any restrictions or safety alerts prior to visiting. The website does not include information about the status of state-, local- or vendor-operated parks, campgrounds, marinas or other facilities located on USACE project lands. The public will need to contact those facilities for information regarding their operating status. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
