Defiant after four years of scandals that rocked the agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is moving ahead with more than $12 billion in projects that harm the environment and waste taxpayer dollars, according to a two-year investigation that reveals a recipe of politics and pork.

Conducted by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS), the investigation ranks the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Navigation System Expansion as an emerging threat to American taxpayers and the environment.

In producing the investigative report Crossroads: Congress, the Corps of Engineers and the Future of America's Water Resources, the two groups read through tens of thousands of pages of Corps documents and conducted dozens of interviews to rank the most environmentally and fiscally wasteful water projects in the nation. The report provides an action agenda for Congress and the Bush Administration to redirect the Corps toward more responsible, cost-effective projects that protect the environment and use tax dollars wisely.

"We've documented a host of horror stories of Corps' projects that waste tax dollars and harm wildlife and the environment," said David Conrad, NWF's Senior Water Resources Specialist. "It's a hit parade of the worst of the worst-with the nation's treasury and natural resources taking the hit."

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Navigation System Expansion exhibits many of the serious economic and environmental issues that Crossroads uncovered in Corps projects across the nation. Earlier predictions of increased ocean-going shipping through the Great Lakes have failed to materialize. Yet the Corps is dusting off previously-rejected proposals to deepen and widen shipping channels and expand locks to accommodate additional and larger ships. The studies alone will cost at least $20 million, with costs for construction of the project ranging as high as $15 billion. According to the Corps, the project would require dredging hundreds of millions of cubic yards of sediments, destroying habitat for fish and waterfowl and stirring up mercury, PCBs and other pollution. Extensive dredging could also exacerbate already lower lake levels, harming shoreline property owners and local businesses such as marinas and recreational boat ramps. Ocean-going vessels also carry the risk of more invasive species, such as zebra mussels, that are introduced through the ship's ballast tanks.

Tim Eder coordinates the Corps reform project of NWF in the group's regional office in Ann Arbor. He observed, "People who care about the Great Lakes need to be concerned about the Corps' 'Big Dredge' plan. Though the plan is just in the study phase, Corps studies too often grow up to be nasty projects. It is kind of like bringing home a pet bear cub. They may be cute when they're little, but they can sure make a mess of your house when they grow up."

In the case of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Navigation System Expansion, Congress appropriated $2 million for the study in fiscal year 2004, despite the Administration's request for less than half that amount. In fiscal year 2005, the Administration recommended just $800,000 for the study.

The 100-page report is available online at www.nwf.org and www.taxpayer.net.