ARMY CORPS GETS A LITTLE REFORM
So this is big. Not as big as the levee failures that primed the pumps, or the Isreal-Hezbolah conflict that kept the issue off the front page of most papers, but when it comes to helping protect people, property and the very fate of cities from Sacramento, California to Belle Glade, Florida, the decision by our Senate this week to require independent review of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, the news can't get much bigger.
It’s too bad that our own Senator Vitter, Louisiana's leader who has spent the most time lambasting the Corps, chose to support sham reform instead of the fundamental paradigm shift that independent review offers. Check out the roll-call vote on independent review here.
Thankfully, Senator Landrieu stood firm and supported both reform measures offered by Sens McCain and Feingold. Sadly, their prioritization measure failed, leaving the appropriation of Corps project funds in the politically motivated hands of key members of Congress. This guarantees that life-saving levees will have to compete with economically questionable projects like the industrial canal locks expansion for scarce funds. Hint, even Louisiana's own politicos consistently pushed for big 'economic development' projects backed by the Port of New Orleans and other shipping interests instead of making the levees whole. See the roll-call vote on Corps projects prioritization here.
Big step forward for MRGO closure as well, with money and loans totaling $375 million for business relocation assistance, making it far easier to get the channel completely shut. The bill also authorizes $1.1 b for projects developed through the Corps Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) study. That's a significant chunk of change, and should be incredibly valuable in the critical effort to shift the plumbing of our coast and the Mississippi River to slow and reverse the loss of our wetlands - of course, all the projects that the money is supposed to go to were all developed pre-K, and are wholey inadequate to deal with far-larger scope of the problem we now face. These projects could be expanded or tweaked in conference, but that's going to take leadership.
The big question now is what will survive a conference committee, and whether the winds of change will be able to penetrate the closed-door, backroom dealing that’s sure to follow this bill.
If independent review doesn’t make it through, be ready to flood Washington with outrage, because they will have guaranteed that more communities will see floods like ours.
Aaron Viles is the GRN's Campaign Director
So this is big. Not as big as the levee failures that primed the pumps, or the Isreal-Hezbolah conflict that kept the issue off the front page of most papers, but when it comes to helping protect people, property and the very fate of cities from Sacramento, California to Belle Glade, Florida, the decision by our Senate this week to require independent review of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, the news can't get much bigger.
It’s too bad that our own Senator Vitter, Louisiana's leader who has spent the most time lambasting the Corps, chose to support sham reform instead of the fundamental paradigm shift that independent review offers. Check out the roll-call vote on independent review here.
Thankfully, Senator Landrieu stood firm and supported both reform measures offered by Sens McCain and Feingold. Sadly, their prioritization measure failed, leaving the appropriation of Corps project funds in the politically motivated hands of key members of Congress. This guarantees that life-saving levees will have to compete with economically questionable projects like the industrial canal locks expansion for scarce funds. Hint, even Louisiana's own politicos consistently pushed for big 'economic development' projects backed by the Port of New Orleans and other shipping interests instead of making the levees whole. See the roll-call vote on Corps projects prioritization here.
Big step forward for MRGO closure as well, with money and loans totaling $375 million for business relocation assistance, making it far easier to get the channel completely shut. The bill also authorizes $1.1 b for projects developed through the Corps Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) study. That's a significant chunk of change, and should be incredibly valuable in the critical effort to shift the plumbing of our coast and the Mississippi River to slow and reverse the loss of our wetlands - of course, all the projects that the money is supposed to go to were all developed pre-K, and are wholey inadequate to deal with far-larger scope of the problem we now face. These projects could be expanded or tweaked in conference, but that's going to take leadership.
The big question now is what will survive a conference committee, and whether the winds of change will be able to penetrate the closed-door, backroom dealing that’s sure to follow this bill.
If independent review doesn’t make it through, be ready to flood Washington with outrage, because they will have guaranteed that more communities will see floods like ours.
Aaron Viles is the GRN's Campaign Director
Labels: Army Corps Reform, MRGO, Natural Storm Defenses
posted by Aaron at 2:07 PM
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