Corps Officials Update Sullivan on Solutions to Recurring Threat of Glacial Flooding in Juneau

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today received an update from senior Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) officials about the status of the Corps' work on short-, medium-, and long-term solutions to the recurring threat of glacial lake outburst flooding in Juneau, Alaska. Lt. Gen. William Graham Jr., chief of engineers and commanding general of the Corps, testified before the EPW committee that a technical report is due by next spring that "lays the foundation for a long-term fix." This year, the Corps implemented a short-term solution, providing Hesco barriers that were deployed along the banks of the Mendenhall River, which have been effective at preventing the widespread damage to property and infrastructure seen in 2024. The committee also heard testimony from Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle.

Working closely with members of the community and state officials, Sen. Sullivan has relentlessly led the effort to secure solutions to the Juneau glacial flooding, and also pressed senior officials in the Biden administration for federal disaster relief in the aftermath of the devastating 2024 floods.

"We've got a lot of work to do, but can I get your commitment and, general, your commitment, that we're not just going to study this. The people of Juneau are having flooding every summer," said Sen. Sullivan. "We need to get on this soon. Can I get your commitment and any other updates you want to give me on that? I appreciate you surging a high-level team for a week in Alaska to be in Juneau when this happened again. We need a Corps of Engineers solution to this."

"I've committed to you and General Graham has committed to me that we are going to be focused on a long-, medium- and short-term solution to address this challenge," said Mr. Telle. "The short-term solution is what you saw in August, and you're going to see it again as long as we need it while we're developing the medium- and long-term solutions."

Alaska's capital city has been dealing with seasonal glacial flooding for years, with a record-breaking outburst in August. In May, Assistant Secretary Telle committed to fast-tracking solutions to the Juneau flooding issue and utilizing President Trump's Day One executive order, "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential," which declares "the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works shall immediately review, revise or rescind any agency action that may in any way hinder, slow, or otherwise delay any critical project in the state of Alaska."

"Senator Sullivan, this is what we're built for-being able to take a complex situation and work with our state and local partners to put a project in place rapidly," said Gen. Graham. "As you saw with General Goetz up there, that's what we're committed to. I know there's a smaller outburst happening as we speak there. We're working again with the city on-I think they held off on repairing some of the existing Hesco barriers until this finishes. The technical report that we'll look at lays the foundation for a long-term fix. We expect that next spring and we will watch that closely as that work unfolds. That work that we're doing is going to be with all the partners who, across the government at all levels, have the ability to add to this solution. That's our commitment to you."

On August 16, Sen. Sullivan took a helicopter tour of Mendenhall Glacier and the flood zone, and participated in a detailed briefing and roundtable discussion with the Unified Command team, including the City and Borough of Juneau, the Central Council of the Tlingit-Haida, the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Coast Guard, the Forest Service, the National Weather Service, and the State of Alaska. Sullivan was joined by Brigadier General Joseph "Clete" Goetz, commander and division engineer of the USACE Pacific Ocean Division, who was deployed to Juneau at Sen. Sullivan's request.

Below is a full transcript of Senator Sullivan's exchange in the EPW hearing regarding the Juneau flooding issue.

SULLIVAN: Mr. Secretary, thank you for being here. General, thank you for being here. You both have a really critical job-I think one of the most important jobs in government. I think you're doing a great job. I'm going to get to that and some of the things you've been doing in Alaska. I do want to remind you of the context. You've seen this chart before. This was the 70 executive orders that the Biden administration issued singularly, exclusively focused on Alaska, what we called the "Last Frontier Lock Up." You look at-we have the actual list of them-the 7-0. Right there. Those are executive orders and executive actions. No state got sanctioned more by their own federal government than we did in Alaska by the Biden administration. I like to do this in public a lot because those days are over, right? We have a new EO. That was the Alaska lock up. This is the Alaska come-back. You're very familiar with this executive order. This is Day One. The Trump administration issued an executive order called "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential." We're the only state in the country that has our own EO. It was issued on the day of the President's inauguration. The Corps of Engineers, as you know, Secretary Telle, is highlighted in that EO in a really big way. The part on "the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works"-now I'm reading the EO-"shall immediately review, revise, rescind any agency action that may in any way hinder, slow or otherwise delay any critical project in Alaska." During your confirmation hearing, do you remember what you said to me about that executive order, and that paragraph in particular?

TELLE: Senator Sullivan, I indicated to you that I had tattooed that paragraph of that executive order on my heart.

SULLIVAN: Yes. You tattooed that on your heart. I have to admit, that was one of the best answers I've heard in a confirmation hearing in a long time. You are doing that. I very much appreciate that.

Let me compliment you on the really important work that you did when we had another glacial lake outburst flood in Juneau, Alaska. This was the worst, but it wasn't as bad because the Corps of Engineers had acted quickly, at my request, this past spring on getting those Hesco barriers to help prevent flooding. But you also surged general-Brigadier General Goetz-to Alaska for a whole week, and his team. They gave Juneau a lot of comfort. We've got a lot of work to do, but can I get your commitment and, general, your commitment that we're not just going to study this. The people of Juneau are having flooding every summer. By the way, last summer and this summer, it's amazing nobody's gotten killed. We need to get on this soon. Can I get your commitment and any other updates you want to give me on that? I appreciate you surging a high-level team for a week in Alaska to be in Juneau when this happened again. We need a Corps of Engineers solution to this. I appreciate your focus on it.

TELLE: Senator Sullivan, thank you for emphasizing the importance of this challenge. Your leadership helped guide our decision making, and I've committed to you… Let me also say, I'm just so proud of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, General Goetz, his team in the Alaska District, for the work that they did in real time to save lives and property in Juneau, Alaska in mid-August. I've committed to you and General Graham has committed to me that we are going to be focused on a long-, medium- and short-term solution to address this challenge. The short-term solution is what you saw in August, and you're going to see it again as long as we need it while we're developing the medium- and long-term solutions. I will let General Graham comment on the progress on the medium- and longer-term solutions.

GRAHAM: Senator Sullivan, this is what we're built for-being able to take a complex situation and work with our state and local partners to put a project in place rapidly. As you saw with General Goetz up there, that's what we're committed to. I know there's a smaller outburst happening as we speak there. We're working again with the city on-I think they held off on repairing some of the existing Hesco barriers until this finishes. The technical report that we'll look at lays the foundation for a long-term fix. We expect that next spring and we will watch that closely as that work unfolds. That work that we're doing is going to be with all the partners who, across the government at all levels, have the ability to add to this solution. That's our commitment to you.

SULLIVAN: Great, I appreciate that. I know the people of Juneau really appreciate that. And, it's so important.

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