Earl Blumenauer: “the week-long series in the Washington Post about the Corps of Engineers and its relationship to Congress and, more…”

“the week-long series in the Washington Post about the Corps of Engineers and its relationship to Congress and, more importantly, to the environment, raises key questions about the Corps' future direction. The immediate challenge is for the Corps and Congress to respond carefully, thoughtfully, and in the right context to the real issues surrounding the Corps' important mission. In its very name, the Army Corps of Engineers combines the two professions that are perhaps most results-oriented, focused, precise and committed to following orders: engineering and the military. It imposes upon those of us in Congress a special responsibility. We must be sure that we are asking the right questions and looking at the big picture. For if the Corps' assignment is to stop flooding in a particular area, that is precisely what they will do, but that may be all that they do. As much as I agree with some of the concerns and criticisms of the Corps, it is wrong to single them out alone. The behavior of the Corps is just the most obvious example of our country's 2-century long certainty that we can conquer and bend to our will the force of nature. The Corps has simply been responding to the orders and expectations of Congress and the citizens. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Corps' responsibility to deal with waterways and flooding, the policies that Congress has directed and funded often appear to be doing more damage than good.”