A Louisiana native formally took command of the Army Corps of Engineers’ New Orleans district on Friday, assuming a crucial job at a challenging moment while declaring he still bleeds purple and gold “with a little bit of gumbo” despite a career of globe-trotting.
Col. Scotty Autin will command a district with around 1,100 staff and one of the largest civil works programs in the nation, overseeing projects vital to Louisiana from dredging at the mouth of the Mississippi River to levee construction and home elevations. But he takes charge with President Donald Trump’s administration pursuing deep cuts across government, including at the Corps of Engineers.
The Houma native will have to navigate the complex layers of politics in Louisiana — where pressing the Corps to move quickly on flood control projects has long been a tradition — in addition to the turbulence in Washington. Under Trump’s presidency so far, the district has said it is losing around 80 of its 1,160 employees, while a “mega-study” on the future of the lower Mississippi River has been paused due to lack of funding.
Friday’s ceremony at the Corps’ headquarters along the river in uptown New Orleans provided a brief moment of celebration, allowing friends, family and state officials to revel in the rare occurrence of a Louisianan taking the reins. Corps officials could not immediately recall the last time that had happened…