Introductory remarks of committee counsel____ Scope of investigation made by committee staff Statutory procedure for the authorization of civil-works projects. Planning of projects after they are authorized by Congress on the basis of Basis for appropriation of initial construction funds____ Information on cost of projects furnished to Appropriations Committee_ Garrison project__. Need for better cost estimates for consideration by Appropriations Com- Cost increase of 124 percent in civil works construction program. Analysis by the Corps of Engineers of cost estimates for 182 civil works projects comprising fiscal year 1951 program__ Benefit-to-cost ratio of projects under construction (table). Benefit-to-cost ratio of projects in planning stage (table) Cost increase due to omissions in engineering planning- Cost increase due to unforeseen conditions. Cost increase due to engineering modifications. Cost increase of relocations and lands_ Inadequacy of survey report as a basis for appropriation of construction 11, 14 Need for the new planning report_ Need for more current cost estimates___ Failure to disclose true facts to Congress. Nonavailability of definite project reports in Office of Chief of Engineers_ Availability of the new planning report as a congressional document__. Present methods of estimating by the Bureau of the Budget_. Noncompletion of important planning manual started 7 years ago. Map showing projects studied in field.. Appropriations history of 182 current civil works projects.. I. Initiation of civil works projects, and their authorization-statutory II. Appropriation of funds to initiate construction of authorized projects. Recent appropriations history of civil works projects - - Exhibit 1: Corps of Engineers projects studied in the M796166 Page III. The present procedure for furnishing data to the Appropriations Exhibit 2: Status of definite project report for each of Exhibit 3: 89 projects in the 1951 civil works program Exhibit 4: 50 projects in the 1951 civil works program IV. The 124 percent increase in the cost of the civil-works program_ (a) Importance of recomputation of benefit-cost ratio after the Exhibit 6: Benefit-cost ratio tables. (b) Detailed breakdown by categories of the 124 percent cost Exhibit 7: Inadequacies to indicate extent of increase Exhibit 9: Structural and engineering modifications (c) Need for early completion of the Engineering Manual for (e) Improvements in the planning procedure either already (d) The paradox in planning projects after authorization- 116 VII. Concrete illustrations of the inadequacy of present planning procedure for appropriation purposes__. VI. The "planning report"-a solution designed to assure Congress a necessary check on the planning and construction performance of the corps 117 118 119 (a) The Missouri River. 119 VII.-Continued Page (c) Projects for which the corps does not require definite project (f) Contingencies. 126 VIII. Need for corps to furnish current information to the committee at the time that appropriations are being considered. (a) Gavins Point (b) Central and southern Florida flood control.. (c) McNary Dam_ IX. Handling of public funds by the Corps of Engineers-accounting procedures. X. Reduction in maintenance and operation of projects whose need is XI. Surplus and obsolete material__ Appendix. Chart showing the status of the Engineering Manual for Civil Works.. Development of policies and procedures of the Corps of Engineers for the planning of civil works projects -- Summaries of planning for individual projects. Directives of June 22 and 28, 1951, prescribing improvements in accounting procedures. 127 127 127 128 128 129 130 130 130 133 133 135 142 147 INVESTIGATION OF CORPS OF ENGINEERS CIVIL WORKS PROGRAM1 THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1951. WITNESSES LT. GEN. LEWIS A. PICK, CHIEF OF ENGINEERS BRIG. GEN. C. H. CHORPENING, ASSISTANT CHIEF OF ENGINEERS FOR CIVIL WORKS COL. R. E. M. DES ISLETS, ENGINEER COMPTROLLER J. W. KIMBEL, SPECIAL COUNSEL, CORPS OF ENGINEERS F. B. SLICHTER, CHIEF, ENGINEERING DIVISION, CIVIL WORKS Present: John J. Donnelly, Jr., Esq., committee counsel, and Fred Korth, Esq., deputy counselor, Department of the Army. Mr. CANNON. The committee will come to order, a quorum is present. You may proceed, Mr. Donnelly. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS OF COMMITTEE COUNSEL Mr. DONNELLY. Members of the committee, I would like to report to you this morning the status of the national study undertaken by the committee's investigative staff of the 182 projects in the civilworks program, that is, civil-works projects in the construction program of the Corps of Engineers, for fiscal year 1951. The committee last year filed a report with the House, dated March 21, 1950, report No. 1797, Eighty-first Congress, second session, pointing out that certain matters in the Corps' functioning, in the construction of civil-works projects, could bear looking into. The committee was so seriously disturbed about the matter that on March 29, 1950, it directed the investigative staff of the committee to make a comprehensive study of the policies, practices and procedures of the Corps of Engineers. The report of the committee staff was made to the committee on January 23, 1951, and was turned over by the committee on April 3, 1951, to the Chief of Engineers, with the request that he prepare within 2 weeks such comments thereon as he might deem appropriate. The Corps of Engineers sent its formal answer to the committee on April 16, 1951. In May, this past May, the committee had hearings on the proposed Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway, and in the course of those hearings there was considerable testimony with regard to the status of planning on the part of the Corps of Engineers for civil works projects. 1 These hearings commenced in May 1951. The first phase dealt only with one project, the proposed Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which will be published as pt. 2 of these hearings. This phase deals with all 182 projects in the Corps' construction program for fiscal year 1951. (The proposed Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway was not in this program.) |