Fact Sheet From U.S. Senators Russ Feingold and John McCain
On the Water Resources Planning and
Modernization Act of 2006, S.2288
The Water Resources Planning and Modernization Act of 2006 continues
the efforts of Senators Feingold and McCain to update and strengthen
the Army Corps of Engineers and prioritize limited federal resources.
The bill seeks to add transparency to federal decisions, update the
basic guidelines used by the Army Corps of Engineers, provide triggers
for outside review of Corps projects, take better care of our environment,
and, in the wake of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, assess risks posed
by future natural disasters.
The Water Resources Planning and Modernization Act …
Prioritizes Our Resources – To better inform
federal decisions and provide increased transparency, the bill restores
the Water Resources Council (established in 1965) and charges it with
providing Congress a prioritized list of all authorized water resource
projects within one year of enactment and every two years thereafter.
This process would give Congress the tools to more wisely invest limited
resources.
Guarantees Sound Projects and Responsible Spending
– To ensure that Corps water resources projects are sound, the
bill requires independent review of those projects estimated to cost
over $25 million, projects requested by a governor of an affected state,
projects that the head of a federal agency has determined may have a
significant adverse impact, or projects that the Secretary of the Army
has found to be controversial.
Identifies Vulnerabilities to Natural Disasters –
To assess our vulnerabilities, the Water Resources Council is also charged
with identifying and reporting to Congress on the nation’s vulnerability
to flood and related storm damage, including the risk to human life,
and recommendations on improving the nation’s various flood damage
reduction programs.
Values Our Natural Resources – To better protect
natural systems that provide important services, the bill requires that
Corps water resources projects meet the same mitigation standard that
is required of everyone else under the Clean Water Act. Where states
have adopted stronger mitigation standards, the Corps must meet those
standards.
Updates The Army Corps’ Planning Guidelines –
To improve the process by which the Army Corps of Engineers analyzes
water projects, the bill requires that the Water Resources Council work
in coordination with the National Academy of Sciences to propose periodic
revisions to the Corps’ planning principles and guidelines, regulations,
and circulars. The principles and guidelines, which bind the Army Corps
of Engineers, have not been updated since 1983.
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