"Corps of Engineers Reform" in WRDA 2005

Publication Date: April 2005

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Environment

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Abstract:

Enactment of Water Resources Development Acts (WRDAs) in recent Congresses has been complicated by proposed changes to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) policies and practices. S. 728, WRDA 2005, contains provisions to alter the formulation, review, and implementation of Corps water resources projects. These provisions are fueling disagreement about the appropriate direction for change and are shaping the WRDA debate in the 109th Congress. One view is that Corps projects could be improved by increasing environmental considerations in project planning, implementing external review, and enacting more stringent requirements for fish and wildlife mitigation. Another view supports refinements to Corps planning, review, and mitigation that are aimed at limiting the length and increasing the predictability of the project development process, while not increasing costs. The changes to Corps practices proposed in S. 728 draw upon multiple views; most changes proposed in WRDA bills in the 108th Congress and other legislation draw more heavily upon the former view. This report will be updated as legislative events warrant.