Pork Alert:  Katrina Anniversary Edition

Washington, D.C. Last year, hurricanes Katrina and Rita exposed the truth about Louisiana and the federal government’s woeful planning and disaster relief preparation.  When the New Orleans levees failed, the storms also reminded taxpayers of the real-life implications of pork-barrel spending.  Time and time again members of Congress have ignored the budget requests of the Army Corps of Engineers and siphoned money away from high priority projects.  One year after the hurricanes, members are once again using the Army Corps as their own personal pork-barrel.  In fact, the Senate added 365 unrequested projects worth a total of $842 million to the General account and the General Investigation and Construction account of the Army Corps of Engineers in the fiscal 2007 Energy and Water Appropriations Act (H.R. 5427).  As usual, powerful appropriators were able to grab the lion’s share of the pork, including:

• $33.2 million for eight projects in the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Harry Reid (D-Nev.), including:  $25 million for rural Nevada; $1.5 million for Truckee Meadows; and $725,000 for Tahoe Regional Planning;
• $16.8 million for seven projects in the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee member Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), including:  $2.5 million for the Greenbrier River Basin; $325,000 for the Parkersburg and Vienna Riverfront Park; and $150,000 for Island Creek at Logan; and
• $12.9 million for 11 projects in the state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), including:  $5 million for central New Mexico; $250,000 for Santa Fe; and $180,000 for the Southwest Valley, Albuquerque.

One year after America’s most destructive natural disaster, appropriators continue to ignore the physical and fiscal realities as families and businesses try to rebuild the Gulf Coast.  Of the $20.8 million dollars in pork designated for the home state of Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee member Mary Landrieu (D-La.), $13.5 million, or 65 percent, is for the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway, even though it is only used by 4 percent of Louisiana’s commercial traffic.  Additionally, according to the Army Corps of Engineers, the waterway’s costs will not be justified until 2046.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.