Russ Feingold: “Lastly, section 2006 of S. 1248 would update the Corps' woefully out-of-date Principles and Guidelines, P&G, and related…”

“Lastly, section 2006 of S. 1248 would update the Corps' woefully out-of-date Principles and Guidelines, P&G, and related planning documents by establishing a Cabinet-level interagency working group to revise the guidelines and regulations and circulars, which have not been revised since their inception in 1983. Numerous studies have called for updating the Corps' planning guidelines to provide an increased focus on protecting and restoring the environment and to modernize and incorporate new methods and more cost-effective approaches to solving water problems. More than a decade of reports from the National Academy of Sciences, Government Accountability Office, Army inspector general, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, and independent experts have revealed a pattern of stunning flaws in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project planning and implementation and urged substantial changes to the Corps' project planning process. The most recent call for revising the Corps' planning guidelines came just 2 months ago from the National Academy of Public Administration. These flaws have increased taxpayer costs and environmental degradation with antiquated economic analysis of projects and in some cases overly structural projects. It is vital that these planning guidelines be modernized so that they no longer promote projects that destroy healthy natural ecosystems and lure development in high risk areas.”