Congressman García Highlights Victories for Chicago and the Chicagoland Region in the Updated Army Corps of Engineers Fiscal Year 2022 Work Plan

Statement

Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, praised the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) updated Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Work Plan, which funds several key projects in the City of Chicago and the Chicagoland region:

"Chicago and the State of Illinois are already seeing gains from the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that Congressional Democrats passed last year. Chicago is blessed with many great bodies of water, including the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, that are tremendous resources for drinking water, recreation, and the economy of both Chicago and the state of Illinois. This updated work plan will begin construction on the vital Brandon Road project to protect the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp, complete a comprehensive study to determine how to protect the Chicago shoreline, and start construction on a major project to improve the navigation and ecosystems of the Mississippi River basin in Illinois. These projects supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will contribute to improve the environment and quality of life for Chicagoans."

The Army Corps FY22 Work Plan contains the following funding victories for Chicago and the Chicago-Land region:

$225 million to begin construction of the Brandon Road project to stop the spread of invasive Asian carp and other species.
$1.5 million to complete the re-evaluation of the Chicago shoreline so that a long-term solution can be developed to address the erosion that is occurring.
$829.1 million to begin construction on several projects as part of the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) project to improve the navigation of the Mississippi River and help restore some of the ecosystems along the river.

The Work Plan was updated thanks to $17 billion in additional funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The IIJA required the Army Corps of Engineers to publish an updated FY22 work plan by last week.

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