building strong ® 1 watershed planning & the corps of engineers robyn s colosimo usace -...
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BUILDING STRONG® 1
Watershed Planning & the Corps of Engineers
Robyn S Colosimo
USACE - Headquarters
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IncreasingDemand forWater
Water Resources Challenges
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Watershed Planning
• Not a new concept
• But appears to be a new answer
• Could be argued that all studies are “watershed based”
• Scale is the segregating measure
• But what is all the “noise” about watershed planning
• Why is it getting so much attention?
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Watershed Planning Success- Key Questions
• What does right look like?
• Is it one size fits all?
• What is the role of the federal government? State government? Local government?
• Are river basin commissions the only model for success?
• Key – Incentivizing watershed planning and not “development of the plan”
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Mission Impossible
• Modernize the Corps Civil Works Delivery Model (authorization)
• Strategic Target = 5 to 10 years out• Key Points:
– Apply lessons of the past– Avoid incremental change; balance radical unacceptable change– Keep the goodness of the current project authorization process while
removing the unnecessary constraints
• Challenge: thinking broadly, not narrowly – not being deterred by the anti-change reaction
• Real job: Challenge conventional thinking• Key to future success: Our ability to change (adapt)
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Scope of Activity
• 2 year effort– Year 1 – research & relationship cultivation– Year 2 – cultivation of ideas
• Targets of Opportunity– Policy & Guidance– WRDA 10 (simpler measures/corrections)–June 10– WRDA 11 (culmination of effort)- June 11
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Progress to Date
• Conducted Interviews of 50+ individuals (March – September)
• Synthesizing Problem (not symptoms)
• Rough list of ideas
• Next Step – Further solicitation of ideas
• Begin to build support for ideas
• Move out on actions concurrently
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Fundamental Questions
• Change or not to Change?
• Or is Change Needed?
• What is wrong with status quo?
• Do we continue to ignore warning shots?
• Do we let change happen to us?
• What is on the table for consideration?
• How can we best serve the taxpayers needs?
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Problems (Perceived)
• Lack of Federal Vision for Water
• Outdated Federal Interest Definitions
• Corps in Leadership Role
• Complex Problems
• Legal and Policy Constraints
• Changing Workforce
• Program that is a collection of projects
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Problems (Perceived) – Continued
• Fiscal Limitations• Special Legislation• Authorization Vehicle• Review Process (Peer and Agency Technical)• Separation of Authorization and Appropriation
Determinations• Cost-Sharing• Less Focused and Coordinated Action• Collaboration
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Some Things I Have Learned in the Last Few Months
• Congress is additive in providing direction• Corps may simply be a decision support agency (mission is to
educate & inform?)• Need to understand motivation of sponsor (money, permits,
expertise or something else?)• Cost-sharing (WRDA 86) had strong unintended consequences• More tools & science – complicates decision making • Project by project decision making – has the effect of
incrementally building a program• Not good at dealing with competing interests• It is impossible to predict the future with accuracy
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Some Things I Have Learned In the Past Few Months (con’t)
• Technology is both a solution and problem• Corps litmus test for investment is “best buy” versus “good
enough”• Good behavior must be “incentivized”• Cost codes/cost sharing undermine teamwork• Experts are few and far between (& spread thin)• Vision is owned by those “in charge”• Decision making IS political• Personalities matter• It is all about EXPECTATIONS/GOALS• Time for bold action is NOW
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Some Initial Ideas
• Move away from rigid b-c analyses• Alter cost-sharing in feasibility phase• Alter delivery of services to meet needs to region • Create specialized teams to work virtually with
authority• Build support for federal priority setting
(authorization & appropriation)• Initiate priority setting through major basin studies• Build Federal – State partnerships
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Some initial ideas (continued)
• Incentivize watershed planning• Grants?• Modify authorization & appropriations
processes (benchmark with other agencies)• No Chiefs Report• Modify Administration Review procedures• Create Study/Review Boards (Honest Broker)• Examine legal constraints & remove them
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Ultimate Goal
• Simple, elegant, responsive, predictable and productive Civil Works program that meets contemporary and future water resources needs
• Real goal – make necessary adaptations before we are “thrown under the bus”
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US Army Corps of Engineers
BUILDING STRONG®