Army Corps of Engineers: Civil Works Reform Issues in the 107th Congress

Publication Date: April 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Environment

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Abstract:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is a federal agency within the Department of Defense that has both civil works and military programs. The Corps' civil works activities are the subject of this report. Its civil works mission includes primarily water resources planning, construction, and operation. Congress generally directs Corps activities through biennial authorization and annual appropriation bills. The Corps attracts much congressional attention because its projects can provide significant economic stimulation in addition to their basic development purposes.

A budget deficit, a backlog of Corps construction and maintenance activities, and concerns about the project development process prompted some Members during the 107th Congress to question aspects of the civil works program. Specifically, should the agency's administration of its civil works mission be altered to reflect changing fiscal and environmental priorities and to improve the project development process, and, if so, how? A bipartisan House Army Corps Reform Caucus was formed. Committees heard testimony supporting and opposing Corps reform. While Members in both Houses proposed bills to change Corps processes, other Members and interest groups satisfied with existing practices opposed these measures. No bills altering Corps procedures passed in the 107th Congress.

The intent of the Bush Administration's proposal for the FY2003 Corps civil works budget was to improve the Corps' fiscal performance by reducing the backlog of construction activities and supporting operation and maintenance of existing infrastructure. The Administration proposed reducing the backlog primarily by starting no new projects and concentrating resources on priority projects, i.e., those with evident national benefits for navigation, flood control, and environmental restoration. The Administration's focus on priority projects addressed a concern about so called "mission creep." Over the Corps' 200-year history, its civil works mission has expanded from maintaining navigable channels and flood control projects to include environmental restoration and non-traditional projects, such as municipal water and wastewater projects. This expanding mission, the growing backlog, and limited federal funding for water resources projects has some Members and advocacy groups worried that the Corps' efforts are spread too thin.

Proposed bills in the 107th Congress attempted to not only improve fiscal management but also modify the project development process and reduce environmental impacts. Many of the bills included provisions for greater public access to project information, increased public participation and independent review, stricter benefit-cost criteria, stronger environmental mitigation requirements, and deauthorization of projects. Environmental and taxpayer groups generally supported these bills while agriculture and navigation industries generally opposed them. This report summarizes the debate on Corps reform in the 107th Congress and is unlikely to be updated.