Army Corps Of Engineers Continues Questionable Practices

(23 February, 2000 ? Washington) Environmental Defense has acquired a memorandum that provides new information about previous disclosures that top officials of the US Army Corps Of Engineers ordered economists to distort their analysis of the benefits and costs of a $1 billion project to expand the barging system on the Upper Mississippi River.

This memorandum reflects a meeting conducted by the Deputy Commander for Civil Works on February 4, 2000 to discuss a new headquarters review of the barge study recommendation by the field staff. The memorandum indicates that the purpose of the review was concern that the plan was not ambitious enough and would displease navigation groups.

Top officials of the Corps of Engineers have also been engaged in an comprehensive effort to grow the agency by $2 billion over a five year period, a 50% growth in the budget, according to a Corps presentation acquired by Environmental Defense. Top headquarters officials presented this information in a slide show to field staff.

Environmental Defense will make these documents available at a press briefing tomorrow, Thursday, February 24th at 1:00 p.m. at its Washington office at 1875 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, DC.

Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization based in New York, represents more than 300,000 members. Since 1967 we have linked science, economics, and law to create innovative, equitable, and cost-effective solutions to the most urgent environmental problems.