Congress ignores that levees are federal
My friend, a flood victim was buried today, his body recently discovered and identified by DNA. He was 53. I attended his funeral, talked to his family, and felt sadness because this should never have happened. Also recently, on June 1, the US Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged broad system-wide flaws in their flood protection that contributed to the catastrophic flooding of metro New Orleans.
Things suddenly changed in Washington. Our Members of Congress stopped making disparaging remarks about the work ethics of New Orleanians and Donald Powell who before June 1 stridently defended the corps, suddenly strongly urged our Members of Congress to help Louisiana. Within days came the signing of the supplemental spending bill for 4.2 billion in community development block grants and 3.7 billion for levees. Of course we are very grateful.
But here is a key issue. Even though the Corps has admitted design and construction flaws, even though the Corps has conceded that the flood protection was a system in name only, Congress has yet to acknowledge those mistakes, and so essentially continues to ignore/deny the federal government’s central role in the New Orleans flood. For a citizens’ group to hold the Corps accountable is important, and that is why I founded Levees.Org. But it’s not enough. Congress must hold the Corps accountable, too.
To date, only the Louisiana delegation is united on this. My favorite is when Chairman Jerry Lewis on the House Appropriations Committee stated on June 6 that Hurricane Katrina’s damage to New Orleans was not the Federal Government’s fault. Senator Mary Landrieu called his bluff, saying that it WAS in fact the government’s fault and had a 6,000 page report from the Corps to prove it.
But with the exception of the Louisiana delegation, and a very few lone members including Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Congress has not recognized Corps culpability in the New Orleans flood.
Congress must acknowledge the errors of the Corps. Then Congress must take the steps to make sure the flooding never happens again. This begins with redefining the very mission of the Corps, with establishing concurrent peer review of Corps projects. It also begins with getting serious about water management in Louisiana and with dedicated funding so that citizen safety is not compromised by annual congressional budgetary review.
Until Congress recognizes the mistakes of the Corps, there is no reason for the people of metro New Orleans to feel safe nor any citizen in the USA whose life and property are protected by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Sandy Rosenthal
Congress is Crippling Corps Reform
Even before the New Orleans tragedy, a decade of studies have revealed flaws in the Corps of Engineers’ planning and function. The importance of Corps Reform was merely reinforced by the New Orleans levee failures where independent experts and even the Corps itself concluded that the levees failed because of poor Corps design and flawed construction.
Corps Reform is essential, but a new Water Resources bill is currently being held up by Congress because of disagreements. Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla) has proposed an amendment that would change little of the priority-free system that has failed the New Orleans and the country. The Inhofe/Bond amendment would change little of the politicized process that supports pork barrel projects and would maintain the status quo.
Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold have introduced two reform-minded amendments. One would establish independent expert review of corps projects and the other would require prioritizing corps projects. These two amendments would help assure that the right projects are chosen and that those “right” projects are done right.In an interview with a representative from Inhofe’s office, an aide told the Founder of Levees.Org, “the Senator feels that only the Federal Goverment should decide what’s best for the citizens.”
Levees.Org challenges this by saying that mindset is exactly what destroyed New Orleans.
The citizens of New Orleans and Louisiana should be concerned about this attitude especially as Senator Inhofe is Chairman of the Powerful Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee which oversees the work of the Corps.
Meanwhile, Senator Kit Bond (R-Missouri) who co-authored the Inhofe/Bond amendment and who also sits on the EPW committee has not yet visited New Orleans to see the damage caused by the Corps’ failed levee system. This should come as no surprise.
Dan Hitchings, Director of Task Force Guardian with the Corps of Engineers told me personally in February that he wanted an oversight committee to review the work of the Corps. Such a group would be made up of people who are “outside the culture and environment of the Corps” with the goals being to make sure that the right projects are chosen, and those “right” projects are done properly. Dan, a top guy at the Corps seems to want to protect the City of New Orleans with the help of Peer Review. But Senators Inhofe, Bond and their allies have no intention of giving up control of the Corps without a fight.
Corps Reform at the federal level is critical to saving New Orleans. Call your senators today and ask them to oppose the Inhofe/Bond amendment and to support the McCain/Feingold amendment.
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Sandy Rosenthal
Founder, Levees.Org
