VOLUME XVIII, NUMBER 1

NOVEMBER 2004

THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY (CIVIL WORKS)

The non-military work of the Corps of Engineers, such as harbor maintenance and improvements, dams, flood control and navigation along the Mississippi, as well as projects such as the Green Brook Flood Control Project, are the responsibility of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).

CONGRESS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PICTURE

The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), of course, does not operate in a vacuum.

Congress makes the decisions about all the big projects. And, Congress makes all the decisions about how much money will be made available.

But, when Congress decides that the Green Brook Basin should be protected from flooding (as Congress has done); and when Congress decides each year how much money is to be appropriated, and the President signs the necessary appropriations act, the Assistance Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) is responsible for carrying out the work.

A QUESTION FROM THE COMMISSION

Recently, the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), John Paul Woodley, Jr., was asked some basic questions about the performance of the Corps of Engineers on "flood damage reduction projects (Commonly referred to as flood control projects.)

THE SECRETARY'S RESPONSE

The first question asked on behalf of the Commission was: Of all the flood control studies started by the Corps of Engineers, about how many are "authorized" for construction?

The Secretary's prompt answer was: Only about 20% are "authorized" for construction.

THE SECOND QUESTION

The next question was: Of those "authorized" for construction, what percentage of them end up actually constructed? His answer: Approximately 60% are actually constructed.

THE THIRD QUESTION TO THE SECRETARY

The last question by the Commission was: Of those actually constructed, about how long does it take from "authorization" by Congress to actual completion of construction?

The Secretary's prompt answer to that was: From beginning to end averages about 16 years.

COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING, WE ARE NOT DOING BADLY

Based upon the Secretary's statistics, the Green Brook Flood Control Project is doing rather well.

Of all the projects studies, eighty percent fall by the wayside. They are not "authorized" for construction. The Green Brook Flood Control Project has passed that test. We are in actual construction.

THE LAST HURDLE.- LONG HOW TO COMPLETION?

The Secretary's answer to this question shows that, comparatively speaking, the Green Brook Flood Control Project is not doing badly. If the normal completion time is about 16 years, it could be expected that a big project would take somewhat longer.

The Green Brook Project is a big project by Federal standards: $400 million plus. We are now in the 19th year since authorization. This indicates that we are doing about as well as any other Federal flood control project.

VERNON A. NOBLE, Chairman
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