Army Corps of Engineers - rigged data reported - Brief Article

Reason, March, 2001 by Charles Oliver

* Top officials in the Army Corps of Engineers rigged data to justify a proposed $1 billion lock expansion on the Mississippi River, according to the Army's inspector general. The report also found that intense pressure from the top ranks has created an agency-wide bias toward favorable evaluations for all river construction projects.

The corps is supposed to recommend only projects which have a large net benefit to taxpayers. Experts say that the report probably won't lead to meaningful reform, since the Army is under intense pressure from members of Congress to approve projects for their districts.