Army Corps Streamlining Initiative Sparks Concern Over Unintended Risks

In 2026, efforts by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to streamline projects nationwide through its “Building Infrastructure Not Paperwork” initiative have brought new urgency and new risk to Everglades restoration. While the effort is intended to accelerate timelines by reducing procedural delays and expediting reviews, it also makes clear that federal priorities are shifting: Projects that deliver the greatest national economic return and community safety benefits will come first, often ahead of those focused primarily on ecological restoration. For the Everglades, that tradeoff raises real concerns.

The initiative directs the Corps to prioritize and accelerate projects tied to infrastructure resilience and public safety, while ranking — and potentially deauthorizing — lower-priority efforts. It shortens study and construction timelines, tightens cost and schedule limits, expands reliance on mitigation banking and non-federal funding, and streamlines permitting, including Section 408 reviews to approve changes to infrastructure projects. Increased oversight from the assistant secretary of the Army is intended to ensure projects align with these national priorities. Taken together, these changes are designed to deliver infrastructure projects faster — but not necessarily to advance ecosystem restoration at the same pace or priority.

Everglades restoration does not lend itself to shortcuts. It depends on careful planning, rigorous modeling, and science-based safeguards to ensure that water is moved, stored, and treated in ways that actually restore the system. These steps are not bureaucratic hurdles, they are what prevent costly mistakes and unintended ecological harm. As streamlining moves forward, the key question is not just how quickly projects can be delivered, but which projects rise to the top and whether critical restoration efforts are sidelined in favor of those with more immediate economic or safety returns.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2026 State of the Everglades Report.