PHILADELPHIA -- Mr. Michael Connor, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and USACE senior leaders visited the Port of Wilmington and met with elected officials and partners during a Jan. 26 visit to the State of Delaware.
Mr. Connor was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) on November 29th, 2021. He serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Army on all matters related to the Army’s Civil Works Program. The Delaware visit was one of Mr. Connor’s first official trips to tour USACE activities at the District level.
Mr. Connor was joined by Maj. Gen. Butch Graham, USACE Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations; Brig. Gen. Thomas Tickner, Commanding General for the USACE North Atlantic Division Commander; Lt. Col Ramon Brigantti, USACE Philadelphia District Commander; and other USACE leaders. The group met with U.S. Senator Tom Carper and other Delaware and Port officials.
The group discussed the Port of Wilmington and toured the Delaware River federal navigation project from the H.R. SPIES survey vessel. Mr. Connor also briefly participated in a news conference with Sen. Carper to discuss the recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
“We’re grateful to the Army Corps and the work that they do,” said Sen. Carper. “The Port of Wilmington and our coastline drive our state’s economy.”
Mr. Connor thanked Sen. Carper and other state officials for their partnership with USACE in the First State.
“We're going to make these investments in a way that's addressing the impacts of climate change, that looks to the future while understanding the role that we need to play in protecting our coasts and maintaining our waterways," said Connor. “All of that's done with an eye toward the recreational aspect which is so important to Delaware's economy.”
Release no. 22-002