[Rhodes22-list] POLITICS - When The Levy Breaks

Thu Sep 8 10:11:35 EDT 2005

All this talk about levee funding from the angry Left
is BS.  Here are some funding issues that you haven't
heard from the NYT, all gleaned from the NO
Times-Picaune.

Brad

February 17, 1995

An Army Corps of Engineers "hit list" of recommended
budget cuts would eliminate new flood-control programs
in some of the nation's most flood-prone spots - where
recent disasters have left thousands homeless and cost
the federal government millions in emergency aid.

Clinton administration officials argue that the
flood-control efforts are local projects, not
national, and should be paid for by local taxes.

Nationwide, the administration proposes cutting 98 new
projects in 35 states and Puerto Rico, for an
estimated savings of $29 million in 1996.

Corps officials freely conceded the cuts, which
represent only a small portion of savings the corps
ultimately must make, may be penny-wise and
pound-foolish. But they said they were forced to
eliminate some services the corps has historically
provided to taxpayers to meet the administration's
budget-cutting goals.

June 23, 1995

A hurricane project, approved and financed since 1965,
to protect more than 140,000 West Bank residents east
of the Harvey Canal is in jeopardy.

The Clinton administration is holding back a Corps of
Engineers report recommending that the $120 million
project proceed. Unless that report is forwarded to
the Office of Management and Budget, Congress cannot
authorize money for the project, U.S. Rep. William
Jefferson's office said Thursday.

On June 9, John Zirschky, the acting assistant
secretary of the Army and the official who refused to
forward the report, sent a memo to the corps, saying
the recommendation for the project "is not consistent
with the policies and budget priorities reflected in
the President's Fiscal Year 1996 budget. Accordingly,
I will not forward the report to the Office of
Management and Budget for clearance."

July 26, 1996

The House voted Thursday for a $19.4 billion energy
and water bill that provides $246 million for Army
Corps of Engineers projects in Louisiana.

The bill, approved 391-23, is the last of the 13
annual spending measures for 1997 approved by the
House. 

One area in which the House approved more financing
than the president requested was for flood control and
maintenance of harbors and shipping routes by the Army
Corps of Engineers.

Flood control projects along the Mississippi River and
its tributaries were allotted $303 million, or $10
million more than the president wanted.

June 19, 1996

The Army Corps of Engineers, which builds most flood
protection levees on a federal-local cost-sharing
basis, uses a cost-benefit ratio to justify a project.
If the cost of building a levee is considered less
than the cost of restoring a flood-ravaged area, the
project is more likely to be approved.

For years, the Jean Lafitte-Lower
Lafitte-Barataria-Crown Point areas couldn't convince
the corps they were worthy of levee protection. But
the use of Section 205 and congressional pressure has
given the corps a new perspective, Spohrer said.

But even so, when the Clinton administration began to
curtail spending on flood control and other projects a
year ago, the corps stopped spending on Section 205
projects even after deciding to do a $70,000
preliminary Jean Lafitte study, Spohrer said.

July 22, 1999

In passing a $20.2 billion spending bill this week for
water and energy projects, the House Appropriations
Committee approved some significant increases in
financing for several New Orleans area flood control
and navigational projects.

The spending bill is expected on the House floor
within the next two weeks. 

For the New Orleans District of the Army Corps of
Engineers, the panel allocated $106 million for
construction projects, about $16 million more than
proposed by President Clinton.

The bill would provide $47 million for "southeast
Louisiana flood control projects," $16 million for
"Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity hurricane
protection," $15.9 million for the Inner Harbor
Navigation Canal Lock on the Industrial Canal in New
Orleans and $2 million for "West Bank hurricane
protection -- from New Orleans to Venice."

Most of the projects received significant increases
over what the Clinton administration had proposed. The
exception: general flood control projects for
southeast Louisiana, which remained at the $47 million
suggested by Clinton. Local officials had hoped for
double that amount.

February 8, 2000

For the metropolitan New Orleans area, Clinton's
budget was seen as a mixed bag by local lawmakers and
government officials. For instance, while Clinton
called for $1.5 billion to be spent at Avondale
Industries to continue building LPD-17 landing craft,
his budget calls for significantly less than what
Congress appropriated last year for Lake Pontchartrain
and vicinity hurricane protection and for West Bank
flood control projects.

September 29, 2000

The House approved Thursday a $23.6 billion measure
for water and energy programs, with sizable increases
for several New Orleans area flood-control projects.
The Senate will vote Monday, but it may be a while
before the bill is enacted.

President Clinton is promising to veto the annual
appropriation for the Energy Department and Army Corps
of Engineers, not because it is $890 million larger
than he proposed, but because it does not include a
plan to alter the levels of the Missouri River to
protect endangered fish and birds.

--- ghpnn at bellsouth.net wrote:

> So sorry, but you got it backwards. The President
> writes the budget and submits it to Congress for
> approval. President Bush submitted the budget which
> cut $71,000,000 out of the Corps of Engineers'
> budget for levee work in New Orleans this year. He
> also appointed a lawyer wuth no emergency management
> experience as the head of FEMA, the federal
> emergency managment agency. Is he responsible for
> his actions?
> > 
> > From: Hank <hnw555 at gmail.com>
> > Date: 2005/09/07 Wed PM 01:03:06 EDT
> > To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Subject: Re: Re: [Rhodes22-list] POLITICS - When
> The Levy Breaks
> > 
> > All this talk about Pres Bush cutting the budget
> is factually inaccurate. 
> > Congress creates the budget. The President then
> either approves or 
> > disapproves. Talk to your congressmen and
> Senators, not the President about 
> > appropriated funding.
> >  Hank
> > 
> >  On 9/7/05, ghpnn at bellsouth.net
> <ghpnn at bellsouth.net> wrote: 
> > > 
> > > The head of FEMA is a political appointee, a
> lawyer, with no disaster 
> > > management experience. President Bush cut
> $71,000,000 from the budget of the 
> > > Corps of Engineers in New Orleans which was
> earmarked for levee work this 
> > > year. Is he responsible for these two actions?
> > > 
> > > Hugh Penn
> > > 
> > >
> __________________________________________________
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> 
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