Analytical Methods and Approaches for Water Resources Project Planning (2004) / Chapter Skim
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2 Federal Water Resources Planning Objectives and Guidance
2 Federal Water Resources Planning Objectives and Guidance
Pages 17-37
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From page 17... ...
To provide a better understanding of Corps planning, it also describes those organizations and groups that participate in the development of a Corps project. The chapter concludes with some perspectives regarding Corps planning guidance, the planning process for federal water projects, and the current national water policy and organizational landscape.
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From page 18... ...
In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt established the federal Tennessee Valley Authority to manage water and related natural resources on a basin-wide scale. Following devastating floods across the country in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1936, which made flood management a federal responsibility.
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From page 19... ...
Kennedy's efforts, as well as those of Congress, resulted in passage of the Water Resources Planning Act in 1965, which culminated decades of efforts toward more centralized water resources planning. The 1965 act had two components: Title I, which established a federal Water Resources Council (WRC)
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From page 20... ...
Environmental Legislation The 1965 Water Resources Planning Act brought increased attention to environmental considerations. Additional attention to environmental issues was stimulated by passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (1969)
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From page 21... ...
Cost-Sharing Until 1986, the bulk of the construction costs of Corps water projects was borne by the federal government, although some forms of costsharing existed since the early twentieth century. In 1986, believing that local governments should play a greater role in water project development, and in seeking local government approval of federally-sponsored projects, President Reagan submitted a proposal to Congress calling for changes to cost-sharing provisions for all Corps projects, with the proposed shares of local cost-sharing responsibilities varying by project purpose.
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From page 22... ...
. CONTEMPORARY PROJECT PLANNING AND GUIDANCE1 The Study Initiation, Review, and Approval Process Many water resources planning studies begin at the local level with a perceived need or opportunity.
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From page 23... ...
The feasibility study also involves preparation of environmental impact statements, significant public involvement, and coordination with state and local officials.
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From page 24... ...
After the alternative formulation briefing, the Corps district office prepares the draft feasibility report and a related environmental impact statement (which undergoes public review under the parallel National Environmental Policy Act process)
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From page 25... ...
Summary The time required for a project to move from conception to completion depends on its size and complexity. Factors that affect cost and time requirements include controversies surrounding the project, actions of the administration, Congress, and state and local officials, and the ability of local sponsors to provide their share of the project costs.
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From page 26... ...
PARTICIPANTS IN WATER RESOURCES DECISION AND POLICY MAKING The Administration Although the Corps of Engineers is a key agency in the federal water project planning and construction process, Congress, the administration, state and local officials, the public, and local sponsors all play significant roles. Congress and the administration have sparred for decades for primacy in the process.
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From page 27... ...
In 1973, the National Water Commission concluded, "[t] he Council's potential for leadership in policymaking and in planning activities has not been realized" (NWC, 1973)
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From page 28... ...
OMB approves all statements made by members of the administration to Congress dealing with policy or funding. OMB is "the eye of the needle" through which federal water resource projects must pass.3 Council on Environmental Quality Established pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act in 1970, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
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From page 29... ...
In turn, most program evaluation and analysis is handled by professional staff, many of whom have served with the committees for years. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Most legislation directing the Corps to construct water projects actually directs this task to the Secretary of the Army.
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From page 30... ...
The Chief of Engineers also serves as the principal engineering adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Army. In the civil works area, the Corps carries out this function in all 50 states and in the Pacific islands (Box 2-1 explains why water resources projects and other civil works functions are under the aegis of the U.S.
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From page 31... ...
These civil works functions were matched with the Corps' responsibilities for providing military construction support to the Army and the Air Force in peace and in war, as well as supporting the activities of other agencies. Synergy between civil works and military construction has resulted in the Corps helping to construct the Panama Canal, restoring European ports following World War II, constructing Cold War facilities around the world, providing assistance in Kuwait following the Gulf War, and assisting peacekeepers in Bosnia and Kosovo.
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From page 32... ...
The Corps and Local Citizens Corps districts often develop strong relationships with the people that reside in their geographic region or whose organizational activities take place within the districts. Corps civilian staff frequently spend their careers in the same district or division and are members of communities or regions facing water problems.
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From page 33... ...
The Water Resources Planning Act of 1965 directed the establishment of the Water Resources Council, headed by the Secretary of the Interior with membership of the secretaries of the water resources agencies and the major river basin commissions. In 1981, President Reagan eliminated funding for the WRC and basin commissions.5 Since the early 1980s, there has, thus, in effect been no federal coordinating body.
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From page 34... ...
State and Local Officials, Project Sponsors, and the Public The evaluation and construction of water projects requires support of state and local officials as well as an officially designated local sponsor. Typically, projects being considered at the local level are coordinated and supported by state governments.
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From page 35... ...
Limited coordination between federal water-related agencies is not a new problem or observation. The President's Water Resources Policy Commission (1950)
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From page 36... ...
This quote explains well the current situation in federal water policy, as the Corps and several other agencies with water-related responsibilities conduct their respective programs and duties without a high-level body to ensure coordination, efficiency, and clear articulation of lines of authority. Since the Water Resources Council was zero-funded in the early 1980s, administrations have chosen to promote federal waterrelated programs without a formal coordinating body.
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From page 37... ...
In a context of conflicting legislative and other directives, the methods by which water resources projects are evaluated and selected becomes paramount in allocating federal funds. The guidance in the Principles and Guidelines allows project evaluation procedures to vary somewhat, according to interpretations by individual district offices.
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