Political Quotes

“my goal in Congress is to assure that the Federal Government is a better partner to State and local communities, especially in developing infrastructure. Through its construction of water projects, the Army Corps of Engineers has been a major player in this career throughout our Nation's history. Recently some have questioned the Corps' planning and construction process and its ability to economically and environmentally justify its projects. I have joined with other Members of Congress in calling for reform and modernization of the Corps of Engineers, including updating the principles and guidelines by which it operates, addressing and prioritizing the Corps' enormous project backlog, and developing a system of independent review. Perhaps most important, I think we need to examine the role that Congress itself plays in pushing through poorly conceived water resources projects. Last week, the General Accounting Office issued a document which illustrates why Corps reform is urgently needed, especially a new process for independent review of Corps projects. The GAO report specifically examined the Corps' economic justification for the Delaware River channel deepening project. It found 'miscalculations, invalid assumptions and outdated information' led the Corps to overestimate the project benefits by over 300 percent.”