The United States Army Corps of Engineers is involved with a wide spectrum of public works projects: environmental protection, water supply, recreation, flood damage and reduction, beach nourishment, homeland security, military construction, and support to other Governmental agencies. In nineteen (19) different Flood Control Acts since 1917, the United States Congress has authorized the corps to design and build flood protection projects and one risk reduction system in the Greater New Orleans area and throughout the nation.
Many of the Corps of Engineers' civil works projects in New Orleans have been characterized as being riddled with patronage (see pork barrel) or a waste of money.[1] Projects have allegedly been justified based on flawed or manipulated analyses during the planning phase. Some projects are said to have created profound detrimental environmental effects and/or provided questionable economic benefit such as the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet in southeast Louisiana.[2]
Faulty design and substandard construction have been cited in the failure of levees in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.[3] Reforming the Corps' way of doing business has been championed by Senators Russ Feingold and John McCain.[4] The corps has been accused of conducting an orchestrated plan to disparage its critics by posting online anonymous comments.[5] The leader of an independent levee investigation accused the upper levels of the corps of unethical behavior pertaining to its investigation of the levee failures in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.[6]
There are several cases of the corps being accused of muzzling expert investigators. One of the difficulties of making changes, however, is the political process itself.[7][8] Whether or not USACE planners and engineers actually do the best they can with what they are directed to do is part of the controversy.