http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...6/ai_n14657367

New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers faces cuts
June 6th, 2005

Deon Roberts

In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal
funding.

It would be the largest single-year funding loss ever for the New
Orleans district, Corps officials said.

I've been here over 30 years and I've never seen this level of
reduction, said Al Naomi, project manager for the New Orleans district.
I think part of the problem is it's not so much the reduction, it's the
drastic reduction in one fiscal year. It's the immediacy of the
reduction that I think is the hardest thing to adapt to.

There is an economic ripple effect, too. The cuts mean major hurricane
and flood protection projects will not be awarded to local engineering
firms. Also, a study to determine ways to protect the region from a
Category 5 hurricane has been shelved for now.

Money is so tight the New Orleans district, which employs 1,300 people,
instituted a hiring freeze last month on all positions. The freeze is
the first of its kind in about 10 years, said Marcia Demma, chief of
the Corps' Programs Management Branch.

Stephen Jeselink, interim commander of the New Orleans Corps district,
told employees in an internal e-mail dated May 25 that the district is
experiencing financial challenges. Execution of our available funds
must be dealt with through prudent districtwide management decisions.
In addition to a hiring freeze, Jeselink canceled the annual Corps
picnic held every June.

Congress is setting the Corps budget.

The House of Representatives wants to cut the New Orleans district
budget 21 percent to $272.4 million in 2006, down from $343.5 million
in 2005. The House figure is about $20 million lower than the
president's suggested $290.7 million budget.

It's now up to the Senate. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, is making
no promises.

It's going to be very tough, Landrieu said. The House was not able to
add back this money ... but hopefully we can rally in the Senate and
get some of this money back.

Landrieu said the Bush administration is not making Corps of Engineers
funding a priority.

I think it's extremely shortsighted, Landrieu said. When the Corps of
Engineers' budget is cut, Louisiana bleeds. These projects are
literally life-and-death projects to the people of south Louisiana and
they are (of) vital economic interest to the entire nation.

The Corps' budget could still be beefed up, as it is every year,
through congressional additions. Last year, Congress added $20 million
to the overall budget of the New Orleans district but a similar
increase this year would still leave a $50 million shortfall.

One of the hardest-hit areas of the New Orleans district's budget is
the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, which was created
after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage in Jefferson, Orleans and
St. Tammany parishes. SELA's budget is being drained from $36.5 million
awarded in 2005 to $10.4 million suggested for 2006 by the House of
Representatives and the president.

The project manager said there would be no contracts awarded with this
$10.4 million, Demma said.

The construction portion of the Corps' budget would suffer if Congress
doesn't add money. In 2005, the district received $94.3 million in
federal dollars dedicated to construction. In 2006, the proposal is for
$56 million.

It would be critical to this city if we had a $50 million construction
budget compared with the past years, Demma said. It would be horrible
for the city, it would be horrible for contractors and for flood
protection if this were the final number compared to recent years and
what the city needs.

Construction generally has been on the decline for several years and
focus has been on other projects in the Corps.

The district has identified $35 million in projects to build and
improve levees, floodwalls and pumping stations in St. Bernard,
Orleans, Jefferson and St. Charles parishes. Those projects are
included in a Corps line item called Lake Pontchartrain, where funding
is scheduled to be cut from $5.7 million this year to $2.9 million in
2006. Naomi said it's enough to pay salaries but little else.

We'll do some design work. We'll design the contracts and get them
ready to go if we get the money. But we don't have the money to put the
work in the field, and that's the problem, Naomi said.

The Appropriations Committee in Congress will ultimately decide how
much the New Orleans district will receive, he said.

Obviously, the decisions are being made up there that are not
beneficial to the state, in my opinion, Naomi said. Let's put it this
way: When (former Rep.) Bob Livingston (R-Metairie) was chairman of the
Appropriations Committee, we didn't have a monetary problem. Our
problem was how do we spend all the money we were getting.
-----

More incompentence from the Chimp In Chief.

Vast Left Wing Conspiracy
Melting The Tin Foil Hats Of Right Tards

On 30 Aug 2005 20:11:49 -0700,
Vast Left Wing Conspiracy , in
.com wrote:

+ In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of
+ Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal
+ funding.

+ More incompentence from the Chimp In Chief.

Perhaps the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy would care to comment how
proposed budget cuts for the 2006-2007 fiscal year will affect the
ACoE in August 2005?

James
--
Consulting Minister for Consultants, DNRC
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow
isn't looking good, either.
I am BOFH. Resistance is futile. Your network will be assimilated.

I R A Darth Aggie wrote:
On 30 Aug 2005 20:11:49 -0700,
Vast Left Wing Conspiracy , in
.com wrote:

+ In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of
+ Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal
+ funding.

+ More incompentence from the Chimp In Chief.

Perhaps the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy would care to comment how
proposed budget cuts for the 2006-2007 fiscal year will affect the
ACoE in August 2005?

James

As a member of the Vast Moderate Conspiracy, the point is that
at any time it is short sighted to cut funds intended to prevent
or ameliorate disasters, IMO. Of course, it was short sighted
to put a major city where New Orleans is, but the failings of
our ancestors do not pardon us for the same failings.

Cheers,
Russell

On 31 Aug 2005 06:09:12 -0700,
, in
. com wrote:
+
+ I R A Darth Aggie wrote:
+ On 30 Aug 2005 20:11:49 -0700,
+ Vast Left Wing Conspiracy , in
+ .com wrote:
+
+ + In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of
+ + Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal
+ + funding.
+
+ + More incompentence from the Chimp In Chief.
+
+ Perhaps the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy would care to comment how
+ proposed budget cuts for the 2006-2007 fiscal year will affect the
+ ACoE in August 2005?

+ As a member of the Vast Moderate Conspiracy, the point is that
+ at any time it is short sighted to cut funds intended to prevent
+ or ameliorate disasters, IMO.

Would you care to place a wager on those proposed cuts seeing the
light of day again?

+ Of course, it was short sighted
+ to put a major city where New Orleans is, but the failings of
+ our ancestors do not pardon us for the same failings.

Well, now that the city is essentially in ruins it would behoove us to
move the city, yes? yes, I know, I'm fantasizing.

Oh, well. One could hope.

James
--
Consulting Minister for Consultants, DNRC
I can please only one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow
isn't looking good, either.
I am BOFH. Resistance is futile. Your network will be assimilated.

I R A Darth Aggie wrote:
On 31 Aug 2005 06:09:12 -0700,
, in
. com wrote:

+
+ I R A Darth Aggie wrote:
+ On 30 Aug 2005 20:11:49 -0700,
+ Vast Left Wing Conspiracy , in
+ .com wrote:
+
+ + In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of
+ + Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal
+ + funding.
+
+ + More incompentence from the Chimp In Chief.
+
+ Perhaps the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy would care to comment how
+ proposed budget cuts for the 2006-2007 fiscal year will affect the
+ ACoE in August 2005?


+ As a member of the Vast Moderate Conspiracy, the point is that
+ at any time it is short sighted to cut funds intended to prevent
+ or ameliorate disasters, IMO.


Would you care to place a wager on those proposed cuts seeing the
light of day again?


+ Of course, it was short sighted
+ to put a major city where New Orleans is, but the failings of
+ our ancestors do not pardon us for the same failings.


Well, now that the city is essentially in ruins it would behoove us to
move the city, yes? yes, I know, I'm fantasizing.

Oh, well. One could hope.

James

Yes, the question becomes: at what point do the
benefits of rebuilding outweigh the future costs
of similar hurricanes? I'd guess that New Orleans
is closer to that dividing line than just about
any other place on the Gulf Coast.

I'm surprised there haven't been more fires.


scott

So if the weather can be controlled this would certainly give a motive
to either the military or some group(s) that benefit from the military
to have created this hurricane. Kind of a stretch, but it sure is
improbably coincidental.


http://groups.google.com/group/alt.conspiracy?hl=en
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

I R A Darth Aggie wrote:
On 31 Aug 2005 06:09:12 -0700,
, in
. com wrote:
+
+ I R A Darth Aggie wrote:
+ On 30 Aug 2005 20:11:49 -0700,
+ Vast Left Wing Conspiracy , in
+ .com wrote:
+
+ + In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of
+ + Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal
+ + funding.
+
+ + More incompentence from the Chimp In Chief.
+
+ Perhaps the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy would care to comment how
+ proposed budget cuts for the 2006-2007 fiscal year will affect the
+ ACoE in August 2005?

+ As a member of the Vast Moderate Conspiracy, the point is that
+ at any time it is short sighted to cut funds intended to prevent
+ or ameliorate disasters, IMO.

Would you care to place a wager on those proposed cuts seeing the
light of day again?

It depends on politics. IIRC Newton said something about being able
to predict the course of the moon but not the irrationality of men.

+ Of course, it was short sighted
+ to put a major city where New Orleans is, but the failings of
+ our ancestors do not pardon us for the same failings.

Well, now that the city is essentially in ruins it would behoove us to
move the city, yes? yes, I know, I'm fantasizing.

Oh, well. One could hope.

James

Yes, I've been wondering how much damage it would take for people
to decide it is cheaper in the long run to rebuild the whole place
on higher (of course, sea level would be higher) ground. Some
small towns did it after the Midwest floods in 1993, but I doubt
if they'll do that with New Orleans. They rebuilt San Fancisco
in the same place after all. If insurance companies demand it,
it might happen I suppose, but unless a clause like that is in
the policies already, all they could do is refuse to insure the
new construction in the future. They might do that just as risk
control. IIRC some companies pulled out of Florida after Andrew.

Cheers,
Russell

Hurt wrote:
So if the weather can be controlled this would certainly give a motive
to either the military or some group(s) that benefit from the military
to have created this hurricane. Kind of a stretch, but it sure is
improbably coincidental.

How can a coincidence be anything but improbable?

I will note, however, that your statement is a true one. (But
only because the if clause is false -- As a rudimentary
energy analysis would show.)

Scott

How can a coincidence be anything but improbable?

Well, I meant on a scale of [0,1] it's a bit a ways from being .5
There's unlikely, and highly unlikely.



I will note, however, that your statement is a true one. (But
only because the if clause is false -- As a rudimentary
energy analysis would show.)

Oh I don't think so. It's not about injecting the energy; it's about
steering the energy.

Do you think the levies were taken out intentionally because the
hurricane didn't quite manage to do it.

Hurt wrote:
How can a coincidence be anything but improbable?


Well, I meant on a scale of [0,1] it's a bit a ways from being .5
There's unlikely, and highly unlikely.




I will note, however, that your statement is a true one. (But
only because the if clause is false -- As a rudimentary
energy analysis would show.)


Oh I don't think so. It's not about injecting the energy; it's about
steering the energy.

Perhaps. It would be far easier to start a tropical
system than to steer it. Either action, however, is
beyond anyone's capabilities . . . (as an energy analysis
would show)


Do you think the levies were taken out intentionally because the
hurricane didn't quite manage to do it.

By whom was my initial question? Then I saw the
attribution list. Oops, my bad.

I wouldn't say that Mother Nature *intentionally* took out the
levies, as that ascribes to Mother Nature some kind of
consciousness. I will say that the removal of levies
was very likely governed by the laws of physics of
saturated soils and high lake levels.

Scott