Economic And Environmental Principles And Guidelines For Water And Related Land Resources Implementation Studies

"Since it was issued in 1983, the federal document Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies (the P & G) has guided water resources project planning for four federal agencies. Since the early 1980s, however, there have been many changes in the national water resources planning landscape. In light of these developments, many groups -- including committees of the National Research Council -- have recommended that the P & G be reviewed and modernized. In 2007 the U.S. Congress directed the Secretary of the Army to revise the P & G. Congress also directed the Secretary to consult with other entities, including the National Academy of Sciences. The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released its "Proposed National Objectives, Principles and Standards for Water and Related Resources Implementation Studies" in December, 2009. The present report from the National Research Council constitutes a review of the 2009 document issued by the CEQ. An effort to modernize the P & G document so that it reflects contemporary planning methods and principles, and today's societal and economic priorities, is timely. However, as this report explains, the 2009 proposed revisions lack clarity and consistency in several respects. Given that the 2009 document represents only a partial revision to the P & G document, and given several areas of ambiguity and incompleteness in the 2009 proposed revisions, detailed advice on specific planning procedures at this point would be premature. As CEQ proceeds with further revisions to the P & G document, clarification and specification in these areas detailed below will be necessary for the document to be of value to CEQ and the federal agencies that will use the document in decision making."--Publisher's website.

"Analytical Methods and Approaches for Water Resources Project Planning"is part of a larger study that was conducted in response to a request from the U.S. Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 for the National Academy of Sciences to review the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's peer review methods and analytical approaches. This report reviews the Corps' analytical procedures and planning methods, largely in the context of the federal Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies, also known as the Principles and Guidelines or "P and G" (P&G), as well as the Corps' Planning Guidance Notebook (PGN).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is authorized to carry out Civil Works water resources projects for navigation, flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration, as well as for storm damage prevention, hydroelectric power, recreation, and water supply. Planning for Federal water resources projects constructed by the Corps of Engineers, along with those of the Bureau of Reclamation, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, is based on the Principles and Guidelines (P&G) adopted by the Water Resources Council. The P&G are comprised of two parts: The Economic and Environmental Principles for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies and The Economic and Environmental Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies. The first part, commonly referred to as the principles, is reproduced in Figure 1 - 1. The second part, commonly referred to as the guidelines, expands on the concepts introduced in the principles and provides additional information and requirements to conduct water resources planning studies. Together both parts provide the framework for Corps of Engineers water resources planning studies. Within this framework, the Corps seeks to balance economic development and environmental needs as it addresses water resources problems. The planning process shall address the Nation's water resources needs in a systems context and explore a fall range of alternatives in developing solutions. Innovative solutions and the application of the full range of the Corps programs and authorities are integral to the planning process. This regulation provides the overall direction by which Corps of Engineers Civil Works projects are formulated, evaluated and selected for implementation. It contains a description of the Corps of Engineers planning process, Corps of Engineers missions and programs, specific policies applicable to each mission and program, and analytical requirements.