Corps Cuts Everything But People Agency Limits Calls, Cars, Film For Cameras To Stay Afloat
Budget problems have the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pinching pennies to keep its understaffed Idaho offices alive.
Money is so tight workers are being asked to limit long-distance phone calls and even the use of film for photographing wetlands and problem construction sites.
Three of the six corps vehicles, used at the Coeur d’Alene, Boise and Idaho Falls offices, will be turned in to cut expenses.
“The grim reaper is upon us,” said one of the corps 12 staffers, responsible for watch-dogging streams and wetlands in the entire state of Idaho.
“We are trying to make cutbacks anywhere we can. The last thing I want to do is cut people,” said Brad Daly, the Walla Walla-based chief for the corps’ Idaho operations.
“We are doing our best to scrimp along. I’m not predicting a catastrophe and in some ways consider us lucky,” Daly said. “Other districts around the country are worse off.”
The corps monitors and issues permits for any construction adjacent to waterways or wetlands, whether it be on private, federal or state land.
The corps national $101 million budget was frozen by Congress last year. Of that, Idaho received about $1 million, but ran out of money before year’s end - even though three staff positions were left vacant.
With the same amount of money or possibly less being doled out this year, Daly said it will be impossible to survive without cutbacks.
About 90 percent of the budget already goes toward salaries and overhead such as building leases. With inflation and previously negotiated salary increases for government employees, even more of the budget will be eaten up this year.
Daly isn’t expecting much sympathy from the public. Not for an environmental agency that enforces restrictions on private property owners.
“There is a large sector of the public that would be just as happy if we didn’t exist,” Daly said. “The public is fed up with government regulation and there is a big difference of opinion on the value of wetlands.”
Some environmental groups say the corps is a necessary and important player in protecting Idaho’s water quality and wetlands.
State agencies in Idaho have no authority over wetlands, unlike in Washington state.
“It is a concern for us. The corps is on their own here and there’s a lot of territory to cover. It would be a shame if budget cuts make them unable to do their job,” said Diane Williams, director of the Clark-Fork Pend Oreille Coalition, a water quality watchdog group.
The corps already has endured criticism for delays in making on-site inspections, responding to complaints and processing permits.
“It’s not a comfortable place to be in. The work load is already high and so is the pressure when you are dealing with people’s right to use their property.”
On average, the Idaho staff processes 1,000 permits a year and sends out 30 to 40 letters a week commenting on proposed construction projects. The statistics don’t include visits to sites that have drawn complaints or working with homeowners to find building sites away from wetlands so they don’t need a corps permit.
“We will continue to do the best we can,” Daly said. “But if things don’t improve next year one of the options is closing a field office.”
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