STATEMENT OF SENATOR JAMES M. INHOFE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
CORPS OF ENGINEERS MANAGEMENT REFORMS
MARCH 15, 2001

Today the subcommittee will receive testimony from Lt. General Robert B. Flowers, Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, regarding how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages projects and more specifically how project management should be changed to ensure the U.S. taxpayer receives the greatest benefit from their investment.

Over the past several months a recurring theme as emerged from those critical of the Corps. Specifically, it has been alleged that the Corps has a "pro-construction" mentality which has resulted in Corps officers seeking out opportunities to "grow the Corps" which presumably means the bigger the construction project the better, even though a non-structural option may be a better alternative. It is my hope that today's hearing will begin to address these concerns.

Recently, much attention has been directed on the Upper Mississippi River / Illinois Waterway feasibility study. In February 2000, Dr. Donald Sweeney, a Corps Economist working on the Upper Mississippi River / Illinois Waterway study filed a disclosure with the Office of Special Counsel alleging senior Corps officials manipulated the study to produce results favoring large-scale construction. As a result, the U.S. Army Inspector General did an investigation which found evidence to suggest that there is an inherent preference by Corps senior officers for large-scale construction. Furthermore, the Army IG concluded that many in the Corps felt an obligation to work for the interest of the navigational industry as opposed to being an honest broker of the national benefit for waterway development.

The subcommittee will be holding a separate hearing on the Upper Mississippi River / Illinois Waterway study at a later date, but I hope the Chief will touch briefly on what he believes can be done to reverse the negative public perception of the Corps following the Army IG's investigation.

General Flowers I look forward to hearing what you have to say and with that will yield to Senator Bond for an opening statement.