Proposed legislation seeks to reform Army Corps of Engineers

An independent panel would review plans for large-scale projects before the Army Corps of Engineers could move forward on them, under a bill introduced into Congress Thursday. The Army Corps Reform Act of 2001, introduced by Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis. in the House and Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. in the Senate, calls for the creation of a stakeholder advisory committee and an independent panel that would review controversial projects and projects costing more than $25 million. "The Army Corps of Engineers is, at present, an embattled agency," Kind said. "The purpose of this legislation is to enable the Army Corps to regain its historically strong public reputation as an agency with a high degree of skill and integrity." The independent review would apply to projects deemed controversial by an affected state governor, other federal agencies or the Army secretary. The bill also would require the Corps to make information on water resources projects available to the public via the Internet. To address environmental concerns, the bill would direct the agency to restore an acre of habitat to replace each acre damaged by Corps construction projects. The proposed legislation came in response to a hailstorm of criticism during the past year over how the Corps conducts its business. Earlier this month, the National Academy of Sciences released a report concluding the Army Corps had used flawed data in a cost-benefit analysis studying navigation improvements to the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The study came on the heels of the Army inspector general's finding last November that top Corps officials had manipulated economic data on the project to justify its $1 billion price tag. The inspector general's report also said that a pro-construction mentality may exist throughout the agency. An Army Corps spokesman said the agency doesn't comment on pending legislation. The head of the Corps, Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers, has said he accepts the Army inspector general's finding, but still defends the integrity of the officials involved. Earlier this month, during a hearing before a Senate Environmental and Public Works subcommittee, Flowers said he plans to implement the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, including one calling for an independent review of the Corps' study of the Upper Mississippi River navigation project and other large-scale efforts.