NWC News Alert (Feb. 6, 2024)
Dear NWC Members,
Good afternoon NWC members! I wanted to provide you with a brief update on a couple of issues.
Draft text for Principles, Requirements and Guidelines proposed rule hits the streets—NWC creates work group to study.
The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASACW) has announced the release of the prepublication version of the proposed rule concerning Principles, Requirements, and Guidelines (PR&G). This draft text is now available for review by interested parties. Once officially published in the Federal Register, which is expected in the coming weeks, there will be a 60-day comment period. The PR&G represents a departure from the National Economic Development (NED) model, offering a new approach for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in planning, funding, and assessing water resource investments.
At the core of PR&G lies a shift in the culture of how studies and projects are assessed. According to the ASACW’s office, the purpose of PR&G is to provide USACE and non-federal sponsors with an alternative perspective on calculating benefits, ensuring no aspect is overlooked. However, the preamble of the proposed rule solicits specific input on various proposed changes to ensure their practicality for both USACE and non-federal sponsors.
The ASACW’s office has invested several years in developing this proposed rule. In 2022, they released a “request for information” on crafting a proposed rule (refer below for NWC’s comments and a summary of received comments). In the upcoming weeks, the NWC will thoroughly scrutinize the proposal. Concurrently, an NWC member work group is being established to comprehensively study the proposal and generate insightful remarks for submission. If you are interested in serving on this workgroup, please reach out to Julie Ufner at julie@waterways.org.
Resources:
- Prepublication version of Principles, Requirements and Guidelines proposed rule
- PR&G Regulatory Impact Analysis
- PR&G virtual meetings (Feb. 26 from 2pm—4pm ET; March 12 from 1pm—3pm ET; Tribal virtual meeting on March 19 from 1pm—3:00pm ET)
- Summary of comments received on PR&G in 2022
- NWC’s PR&G Request for Input comments (Aug. 2022)
Biden to release FY2025 budget request on March 11.
On March 11, U.S. President Joe Biden is set to unveil his budget request for the fiscal year 2025, according to information shared with the NWC’s Legislative Policy Committee last week. This announcement comes a few days after Biden’s anticipated state of the union address on March 7. The President’s budget outlines the administration’s desired allocation of funds for programs and policies in FY2025, which commences on October 1. Traditionally, the president’s budget is slated for release on the first Monday in February by law. However, recent years have seen delays for various reasons such as new presidencies and postponed appropriations. As of now, the FY2024 budget cycle remains incomplete, with a two-tiered Continuing Resolution in effect until March 1 for four appropriations bills and March 8 for the remaining eight appropriations bills. Stay tuned for updates.
Resources:
- The Role of the President in Budget Development (May 2022)
- The Executive Budget Process: An Overview (Sept. 2023)
- Introduction to the Federal Budget Process (Jan. 2023)
Lastly, a friendly reminder that registration is open for NWC’s 2024 Legislative Summit (March 11-13, 2024). The summit will take place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC, from Monday, March 11, through Wednesday, March 13, 2024. The event will feature insightful sessions and speakers discussing federal water and waterways resource changes and opportunities. For the latest information on speakers, sessions, and registration details, please visit our 2024 Legislative Summit page.
Best regards,
Julie