The William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 directed the establishment of a commission relating to assigning, modifying, or removing of names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia to assets of the Department of Defense that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.

The Naming Commission’s Final Report to Congress dated September 2022 identified two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District projects – Buford Dam and Lake Sidney Lanier - that meet criteria for renaming (assets commemorating the Confederacy or persons who served in the Confederacy be renamed).

In accordance with the FY21 NDAA, over the coming months the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District will develop and submit a recommendation for a new name for Lake Lanier/Buford for consideration by the Department of the Army and Congress. Ultimately, Congress has the final authority to select a new name for the project since it established the project’s name (Lake Lanier) when it first authorized the project in 1946.