Shop

A Washington Post investigation reveals that the Army Corps of Engineers may have ordered one of its study teams to make like lock improvements on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers seems cost-effective, even though an earlier study by the Corps found the costs outweigh the benefits. Donald Sweeney II spent five years studying the economic benefits of making lock improvements, and when he found it didn't make sense financially, the Corps re-assigned him because "he was working to slowly." The Washington Post reports that Sweeney "filed a detailed request for an investigation with a federal whistleblower agency, alleging that Corps leaders illegally manipulated a rationale for construction. The officials deny the allegations... Still, at a time when pressure is building for the Corps to curtail its historic penchant for massive spending on environmentally insensitive projects, this dispute has cast new light on an apparent agency-wide strategy to 'grow' the Corps."

This file is not available for digital download. IRE members may place an order by emailing rescntr@ire.org