As of June, the Senate prepared to re-authorize the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which may describe more than $11 billion in projects that would essentially make up the budget of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Included in WRDA are vitally important initiatives, including the largest wetlands restoration project in history, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).

But many other authorizations are boondoggles, environmentally destructive projects planned by the Corps that do not make economic sense, except to the special interests. For centuries, legislators have brought home the bacon through WRDA earmarks. Dredging contractors, barging interests and sundry consultants prosper, thanks to a parasitic, symbiotic relationship with the agency that four presidents, have, without success, attempted to reign in, because of congressional resistance.

But in the aftermath of Katrina Corps, Reform activists are optimistic. Senator Russell Feingold (D, Wisconsin) and Senator John McCain (R, Arizona) have introduced the “Water Resources Planning and Modernization Act.” Among many positive reforms, it would subject large Corps dams and levees to independent review, discourage projects that would encourage development on flood-prone areas such as barrier islands, and prioritize and reduce the Corps' growing $52 billion backlog of authorized projects. To learn more, visit: www.corpsreformnetwork.org .