Free Republic

Regulations: The Clean Water Act is being rewritten to give a government bureaucracy the power to regulate every body of water from the Mississippi River to a rain-flooded field. The first casualty may be American coal. With all the concern for the harm that cap-and-trade and regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant might do to the American economy and free markets, the Environmental Protection Agency is doing quite enough damage with an existing law on the books — the Clean Water Act. Congress plans to revise it to make it an even more powerful bludgeon against industry, energy producers and...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2009 – As 30,000 additional troops move into what admittedly will be “pretty austere conditions” in Afghanistan, the Army Corps of Engineers is working in partnership with unit-level engineers and contractors to provide basic creature comforts -- while focusing heavily on longer-term projects considered critical to their ultimate success there. U.S. Army Col. Kevin Wilson, commander of Afghanistan Engineer District – South, right, chats with U.S. Air Force Maj. Bryan Opperman, officer in charge of the Qalat resident office, at the construction site of a new Afghan National Police station. U.S. Army photo by Patricia Ryan   (Click...

Gulf Region Division commander, Maj. Gen. Michael Eyre (left), passes the flag to Gulf Region South District commander, Air Force Col. Jeffry Knippel, during the historic July 9 change-of-command ceremony while outgoing commander, Col. John Drolet looks on. Knippel is the first Air Force officer to command a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ district. (GRD photo) TALLIL — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Gulf Region Division (GRD) in Iraq made history July 9, when Col. Jack Drolet relinquished command of the USACE's Gulf Region South (GRS) district to Col. Jeffry D. Knippel, the first U.S. Air Force officer...

Sen. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, gave an Army brigadier general an order this week during a committee hearing: Call me "senator." Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh of the Army Corps of Engineers had addressed male senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee as "sir" during the Tuesday hearing. When the time came to speak with Mrs. Boxer, the panel's chairwoman, he called her "ma'am." Mrs. Boxer quickly interrupted him. "Do me a favor, can you say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am'?" Mrs. Boxer pointedly asked the general. "It's just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd...

Star Enterprize personnel examine ductile pipes before moving them from the GRD Loyalty Residence Office in Baghdad to Victory Base Compound, recently. GRD awarded its first veteran-owned contract to Star Enterprize in April. Photo courtesy of Star Enterprize. BAGHDAD — Over the past five years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Gulf Region Division (GRD) has embarked on a dedicated campaign that has enabled many “firsts� for the Iraqi people. Across the region, GRD personnel have worked tirelessly on projects that in many cases allow Iraqis to enjoy the benefits of running water and electricity for the first time....

NEW ORLEANS -- More than three years after Katrina stirred up the waters and washed out levees along a 75-mile, man-made shipping channel dubbed "hurricane highway," a judge could soon decide whether the Army Corps of Engineers owes residents and businesses damages because of the massive flooding. Arguments are set to begin Monday in the trial, which will be heard and decided by a judge, not a jury. And much is at stake: If the five residents and one business in this initial lawsuit are victorious, more than 120,000 other individuals, businesses and government entities could have a better shot...

The US Environmental Protection Agency has challenged a valley fill permit issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers for a surface coal mine in Wise County, Virginia. This action follows EPA saying it would scrutinize 150-200 permit applications with the Corps for similar projects tied to Central Appalachian coal mining operations. EPA said in March that it would examine the pending fill permits over concerns about whether Clean Water Act regulations are being properly followed, and other environmental concerns. The agency later said it was concentrating scrutiny on just two such applications, one for a West Virginia mine and...

President Barack Obama today nominated a key U.S. Senate staffer to serve as assistant secretary of the Army for public works, a position that oversees the Army Corps of Engineers. Jo-Ellen Darcy is senior environmental policy adviser to the Senate Finance Committee, where she has worked on energy, environmental and conservation initiatives using the tax code. Earlier, she served as senior policy adviser, deputy staff director and staffer with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

KIRKUK, Iraq, March 2, 2009 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is part of a joint, multinational effort to provide solutions for city officials here on what to do with the 900 tons of trash Kirkuk residents generate daily. A truck offloads trash at Solid Waste Transfer Station 1, south of Kirkuk, Iraq. The $2.5 million facility has the capacity to handle 300 tons of waste per day. U.S. Army photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. For years, Kirkuk residents have been dumping their garbage into unregulated areas or merely unloading it in open fields outside...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Feb. 13, 2009 – Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently mentored Afghan contractors to ensure the construction of a new school in northeastern Afghanistan’s Laghman province will last through the harsh climate for years to come. Bill Stratton, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, puts mortar on a brick as he demonstrates the proper technique to construct a wall in northeastern Afghanistan’s Laghman province, Feb. 3, 2009. Stratton is teaching construction techniques to Afghans as they work on The Center of Excellence, a school for boys. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 5, 2008 – For about 2 million Sadr City residents, clean drinking water running through their home faucets was a luxury few had. But now the water is flowing freely thanks to a new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water treatment plant that was three years in the making. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project engineer Simeon Francis examines filter actuators as they are being cleaned at the R-3 water treatment plant in Baghdad. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I am very happy for the 2 million people of Sadr...

BASRAH — Two million Basrah residents will soon have a more-dependable source of household water for cleaning, cooking, bathing, and washing. A $5 million project, scheduled to complete next summer, will connect permanent power to the Sweetwater Canal Pump Station #2. About 70 Iraqis are on the crew installing a new switch gear room, two 5 megavolt amp transformers and two new 1.5 megavolt back-up generators. “The project is directly impacting Basrah’s economy,” said Iraqi engineer Sattar, who works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Local Iraqis are on the construction crew earning steady paychecks and most of the...

KABUL, Afghanistan (Oct. 22) - U.S. Special Forces soldiers conducting a daring nighttime operation freed a kidnapped American working for the Army Corps of Engineers — the first known hostage rescue by American forces in Afghanistan. The American, who was abducted in mid-August, had been held in a growing insurgent stronghold 30 miles west of Kabul, U.S. military officials told The Associated Press. They said several insurgents were killed in last week's mission to free him. Taliban militants have kidnapped dozens of international aid workers, journalists and other foreigners in recent years and have demanded large ransoms or the release...

”I feel blessed to be working on this important project,” said Ryan Hartwig, construction representative with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Basrah Children’s Hospital Office “Each time we go, we see more progress. I can look at the place now and actually visualize patients using this facility,” he continued. “It’s just very satisfying being part of this effort that will no doubt save or change the lives of so many Iraqi children.” Several key partners are involved in the project including Project Hope (a nongovernment organization), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Iraqi Ministry of Health, explained...

Des Moines, IA (AHN) - The flooding of the Mississippi River has brought out to the open the fact that half of 31 levees between southern Iowa and St. Louis are dated and could no longer withstand the river's rampaging waters.According to the Army Corps of Engineers the majority of the levees were build three decades ago, while some were as old as 6 decades. With a National Weather Service forecast of more rains and higher waters on the river, the army engineers fear at least 18 of the levees would give way and this would result to worst flooding...

BASRA, Iraq, June 20, 2008 – The provincial reconstruction team for Iraq’s Basra province, along with the Gulf Region South district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the United Nations Development Program concluded a two-day budget execution support workshop June 18 at the international airport here. The event provided a clear understanding of how the international community can support the provincial governor’s office and technical directorates for the design and implementation of projects for the rest of the year, said Army Maj. Daniel George, a PRT engineer assigned from Gulf Region South’s...

Team members visit a renovated school. Most schools in southern Iraq showed years of neglect so the renovations normally included window and door repair, new lights, bathroom fixtures and painting. Darrow’s six-person FEST-A team started 170 projects, including 49 schools, during four months in 2003. Courtesy photo. FOB KALSU — He was among the first helping rebuild key facilities in southern Iraq shortly after Saddam Hussein’s regime was toppled. This month, Lt. Col. Michael Darrow returned to Iraq on another U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mission. This time he will be the Officer-in-Charge of the Forat Area Office overseeing 42...

BASRA – The Gulf Region South Corps of Engineers turned over two facilities to the Government of Iraq in Basra, Iraq June 8. The Abo Al Khaseeb Votech Center and a Primary Healthcare Center in the Hai Al Muhandiseen area were handed over to their respective Ministries as they near total completion. The Votech Center has undergone major renovations during the last nine months as the Corps of Engineers coordinated efforts of several Iraqi construction companies to rebuild parts of the existing structure and install a new perimeter fence. More than 600 students are already attending classes at the center...

WASHINGTON -- At a cost of up to $4 million a mile, the concrete and steel fence rising along the Southwest border constitutes one of the most ambitious public works projects in years, encompassing legions of federal bureaucrats and a lineup of blue-ribbon contractors. But as it slices through forbidding terrain, tribal lands, private property and sensitive wildlife habitats, the barrier faces its own towering wall of challenges, raising doubt that the projected 670 miles of pedestrian fences and vehicle barriers will be in place when the Bush administration comes to an end in January. Facing a deadline of Dec....

FALLUJAH, Iraq, April 3, 2008 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Gulf Region Division is directing an $85 million central wastewater treatment facility for Fallujah’s estimated 200,000 residents. Workers weld a hatch beside the sludge-drying beds of the sewage treatment facility under construction in Fallujah, Iraq. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Started in May, the project is the largest in Anbar province and is 45 percent complete, officials said. The facility is projected to be sufficient for all of Fallujah’s wastewater treatment needs when the city integrates its own collection systems later and through...

BISMARCK, N.D. - The drilling frenzy in North Dakota's oil patch has now reached beneath the state's biggest lake. Oil companies have begun tapping crude oil and gas underneath Lake Sakakawea, using advanced horizontal drill techniques. Lynn Helms, the director of the state Department of Mineral Resources, said it was a logical extension to the formation known as the Middle Bakken, which lies two miles under the surface in western North Dakota and holds millions of barrels of oil. Wells aiming for the Middle Bakken are drilled vertically to about 10,000 feet, and then "kick out" for as many feet...

New Orleans (AP) -- A federal judge threw out a key class-action lawsuit Wednesday against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over flooding from a levee breach after Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval ruled that the Corps should be held immune over the failure of a wall on the 17th Street Canal that caused much of the flooding of New Orleans in August 2005. The suit led to 350,000 separate claims by businesses, government entities and residents, totaling billions of dollars in damages against the agency. The fate of many of those claims was pinned to that lawsuit...

IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA - Service canals dug to tap oil and natural gas dart everywhere through the black mangrove shrubs, bird rushes and golden marsh. From the air, they look like a Pac-Man maze superimposed on an estuarine landscape 10 times the size of Grand Canyon National Park. There are 10,000 miles of these oil canals. They fed America's thirst for energy, but helped bring its biggest delta to the brink of collapse. They also connect an overlooked set of dots in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath: The role that some say the oil industry played in the $135...

BASRA, Iraq, Jan. 15, 2008 – Army engineers are conducting a public works upgrade here, repairing streets and completing unfinished sewer work. Iraqi workers use jackhammers to remove damaged pavement in preparation for pavement work in the Maqil neighborhood in Basra, Iraq. U.S. Army photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started work on a Basra pavement and sewer project in November, said Ferdinand Guese, project engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region South District. The new project aims to complete the paving of various streets in Maqil, a...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Officials said they have unearthed more than 400 pounds of World War II-era bombs and munitions from the grounds around Odyssey Middle School in Boynton Beach over the holiday break. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned to detonate them Saturday, and warned residents they would be hearing several large blasts. Among the items found since Dec. 27 were about 50 bombs, several rockets, a rocket booster and a cannon. sponsor Part of the school grounds was used by the Army in the 1940s to train bombardiers for combat. The Army Corps announced its clean-up of the...

The Army Corps of Engineers came to the District in the late 1990s on an expensive mission: launch a massive overhaul of decrepit school buildings, which eventually included spending $80 million to replace ancient heating systems with brand-new boilers to last 25 years or more. Since then, 40 of the 55 renovated heating systems have broken down or needed major repair. Public schools officials failed to maintain the new equipment, leading to problems such as damage from mineral deposits that built up because the water was not properly treated...It would have cost just $100,000 a year to remove harmful minerals...

BAGHDAD, Nov. 20, 2007 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing a number of road improvement projects in Iraq, including a one-mile stretch on Victory Base Complex here. And while that particular project may be “inside the wire,” it is having an impact in town. Graders prepare the roadbed for asphalting. Iraqis are upgrading roads throughout Iraq, including this one on Victory Base Complex, Baghdad. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Hayder Mohammad, 26, is among those commuting from their Baghdad homes every day to help upgrade a gravel road into a paved main...

BAGHDAD, Nov. 16, 2007 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing 541 projects valued at $2 billion in a range of areas in Iraq, including renovating hospitals and schools, installing new water and sewer lines, electrical generation, new water and wastewater treatment plants, bridges and road paving. Namir El Akabi, chief executive officer of an Iraqi contracting company, said he sees progress in his home country. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. In the past three years, more than 3,700 projects, valued at $5.6 billion, have been completed. Namir El Akabi, chief executive officer of...

There has been much great work done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division in Iraq,that we will never see in the old media.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division Press releases are in pdf.What is the best,easiest way,to convert a pdf file to html,so that the hard work of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can be seen?I finally found a way today,but it is not satisfactory to me.Thanks in advance.

President Bush suffered the first veto override of his seven-year-old presidency Thursday as the Senate enacted a $23 billion water resources bill despite his protest that it was filled with unnecessary projects. The vote was 79-14 to pass the bill. Enactment was a foregone conclusion, but it still marked a milestone for a president who spent his first six years with a much friendlier Congress controlled by his Republican Party. Now he confronts a more hostile, Democratic-controlled legislature, and Thursday's vote showed that even many Republicans will defy him on spending matters dear to their political careers. The bill funds...

It is beyond absurd that Atlanta may be on the verge of running out of drinking water while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to drain Atlanta's main source of water in order to keep some freaking mussels alive in the Apalachicola river basin. Read this story to see what may be in store for our city. http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/10/14/waterwoes_1015.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab Solution? Governor Sonny Perdue should have the Georgia National Guard seize the dam at Lake Lanier and prevent the Corps of Engineers from releasing any more water than is absolutely necessary to meet HUMAN needs. To hell with the purple bankclimber.

TALLIL, Iraq – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed and handed over a compact water treatment plant to Iraqi authorities in Dhi Qar Province in Southern Iraq.The Iraqis "have signed for the facility and it's operational," said Navy Cmdr. Michael Lang, officer in charge of the Adder Area Office of USACE's Gulf Region South district.  The compact plant will supply water to residents of the village of Sulaiman and people living nearby, serving approximately 420 homes, according to Tommy Nason, a construction representative with the Adder Area Office. The project cost nearly $419,000, he said. It was paid for...

In the pantheon of dumb Army Corps of Engineers boondoggles, a $112 million flood-control scheme in Missouri's southeast bootheel ranks among the dumbest. It would drain more wetlands than all American developers drained last year, and the Corps has admitted that the town it's supposed to protect will flood just as often (once every 10 years) if and when it's completed. The Corps also admitted that its original economic rationale depended on a math error. In private e-mails, even the agency's top lobbyist described it as "an economic dud with huge environmental consequences." Now a federal judge has made it...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 4, 2007 – Four Afghan National Army cadets have finished a two-week internship program with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here. Charley X. Qian, Afghan National Army program manager, goes over training material with Cadets Taher and Mahammad. The cadets were participating in a two-week internship program with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Photo by Master Sgt. Mark W. Rodgers, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The cadets are third-year students at the National Military Academy Afghanistan here. The academy, with more than 700 cadets, is modelled after the U.S. Military Academy at...

So, President and Mrs. Bush went down to New Orleans to commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina...Here's a pop quiz: How much money has Uncle Sam spent...since Hurricane Katrina ripped the place apart? The grand total is $127 billion (including tax relief). That's right: a monstrous $127 billion. Of course, not a single media story has highlighted this gargantuan government-spending figure. But that number came straight from the White House... This is an outrage. The entire GDP of the state of Louisiana is only $141 billion, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. So the cash spent there nearly matches...

New Orleans (AP) -- A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Louisiana's attorney general can't sue the Army Corps of Engineers on behalf of Hurricane Katrina victims who don't have lawyers. The emergency order by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals came on the day of the deadline flood victims had to file suit — the second anniversary of Katrina. The order negates a lawsuit filed by state Attorney General Charles Foti earlier Wednesday. The appeals court said that U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval acted without proper authority in appointing Foti as guardian for about 350,000 people with claims...

U.S. Army Engineers Continue Work on Health Care Centers Increased availability to medical care will help reduce infant mortality. By A. Al BahraniGulf Region South, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers MAYSAN, Iraq, Aug. 24, 2007 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to make a significant and positive impact on the reconstruction of Iraq. The design-build projects of four Primary Healthcare Centers in Maysan Province are a prime example. "We are making history here. I enjoy working in Iraq and seeing the benefit of the reconstruction work." Maj. Stephen Herda Maysan resident engineer, Basrah Area Office. “The four...

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Responds to TIME Magazine's August 13, 2007, Cover Story, 'The Threatening Storm' WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- TIME magazine's August 13, 2007, cover story, "The Threatening Storm," contains many errors and misrepresentations of facts with respect to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hurricane Katrina, and ongoing efforts to improve hurricane and storm damage reduction for southeast Louisiana. "The misrepresentation of the situation in Louisiana by TIME magazine is damaging to efforts to get essential, factual information to the people and community leaders of New Orleans," said Maj. Gen. Don T. Riley, Director of Civil...

BAGHDAD, Aug. 3, 2007 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division, completed 112 construction projects between June 30 and July 27, 2007 – bringing the total number of completed projects to 3,998. Currently, there are 576 construction projects ongoing – all funded through the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, the Development Fund for Iraq, the Commander’s Emergency Response Program, the Economic Support Fund and the Iraq Security Forces Fund. Water projects that were completed this month include three network projects in Sadr City in Baghdad Province – each totaling $1.9 million. Each potable water project included laying...

This was no slow collapse. It is horrifying.

WASHINGTON, July 13, 2007 – It will take time and considerable resources to rebuild Iraq following more than 25 years of neglect under Saddam Hussein’s rule, a U.S. military official told online journalists today. However, U.S. assistance is only part of a broader effort -- from both Iraqi and other donor nations -- that will have a lasting effect on the country’s infrastructure, said Army Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division commander. Numerous relief and developmental funds have resulted in more than 3,300 completed projects for electricity, oil and water systems throughout Iraq. As of May,...

6/29/2007   Over 3000 area residents of Al Bukodher Village will receive fresh potable water from the completed Al Bukodher Potable Water Treatment Plant in the Al Zubaydia District, Wasit Province. 6/29/2007   In excess of 35,000 patients per year will receive outpatient healthcare from the completed BR11 Al Thani Public Health Clinic, in Baghdad, Thawra, M540, Baghdad Province which can treat up to 100 patients per day. 6/29/2007   Area residents of Al Ameen will receive outpatient healthcare from the completed BR03 Al Ameen Public Health Clinic, in Baghdad, 9 Nisan, M743, Baghdad Province which can treat up to 100 patients...

BAGHDAD, Aug. 11, 2006 -- Bettering the lives of Iraqi youngsters is what Peter Debski says is the best part of his job. Project engineer Peter Debski poses for a photo with local children at a youth center in Baghdad’s Kadamiyah district in February. Debski said renovating the facility is one of the most fulfilling things he’s done in his career. Photo by Norris Jones  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. He’s been involved in overseeing millions of dollars of reconstruction work in and around Baghdad over the past 10 months, including new water and sewer networks, electrical distribution...

TULSA, Okla. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Tulsa today announced a restriction on kite tubing on all Corps lakes in the Tulsa District. Col. Miroslav Kurka, commander of the Tulsa District, imposed the ban because of the potential for serious injuries caused by uncontrolled flight of these devices. Kite tubes are a relatively new derivative of large inner tubes towed behind speedboats that become airborne. One person died as the result of a kite tube accident this past week in Texas. Many kite tubing injuries are the direct result of the tubes reaching heights of 20...

Corps Takes Blame for Katrina Flooding By CAIN BURDEAU ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW ORLEANS (AP) - 0602dvs-blanco-fp A contrite U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took responsibility Thursday for the flooding of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina and said the levees failed because they were built in a disjointed fashion using outdated data. "This is the first time that the Corps has had to stand up and say, `We've had a catastrophic failure,'" Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, the Corps chief, said as the agency issued a 6,000-page-plus report on the disaster on Day 1 of the new hurricane season. The Corps said...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A contrite U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took responsibility Thursday for the flooding of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina and said the levees failed because they were built in a disjointed fashion using outdated data. "This is the first time that the Corps has had to stand up and say, `We've had a catastrophic failure,'" Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, the Corps chief, said as the agency issued a 6,000-page-plus report on the disaster on Day 1 of the new hurricane season. The Corps said it will use the lessons it has learned to build better flood...

In just eight months, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has done years of work on the Katrina-battered ramparts around New Orleans. The Corps has repaired 169 miles of damaged levee. Replaced long stretches of inadequate concrete floodwall with a much sturdier design. Installed 70-ton gates at the mouths of ruptured drainage canals. But it isn't good enough. Even the man who has led the monumental effort to bring the Big Easy's hurricane protection infrastructure back to pre-Katrina standards says so. The defenses are "better, stronger and more resilient" than ever, said Col. Lewis Setliff. "But I'm only fixing about...

(GRD Photos) Base Camp Adder (Ali Base) Iraq – Al-Basrah’s offshore oil terminal in Umm Qasr has increased its loading capacity due to the recent completion of repairs to six damaged loading arms on Platform B, Berths 3 and 4. Extensive repairs included total refurbishment of the hydraulic systems, vacuums and power lines. The loading arm repairs provide safer, more efficient equipment and contribute greatly to restoring the terminal to full capacity. The repairs will also accommodate a larger number of vessels which means more oil and other goods can be exported from the terminal. This tasking was one of...

North Liberty, Iowa. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has signed a lease for up to 25 years with a group that wants to build a Muslim youth camp at Lake Coralville. The lease allows the Cedar Rapids-based Muslim Youth Camps of America to build on 114 acres of federal land. Construction can start once the group works out details with county and state regulators, the corps said Wednesday. Plans for the $934,000 camp north of North Liberty call for lodging up to 60 campers ages 10 to 17 in cabins and tents plus staffers during the summer and up...

ARLINGTON DEPOT, Iraq (Army News Service, March 16, 2006) – After almost three years of hard and dangerous work, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers celebrated the last major demolition under the Coalition Munitions Clearance Program in Iraq. Col. John Rivenburgh, commander of the Huntsville Engineering and Support Center, Dr. John Potter, chief of the Ordnance and Explosives Directorate and Bill Sargent, program manager of the Coalition Munitions Clearance Program recently traveled to Iraq to witness the last major demolition and initiate the next phase of the ordnance destruction work. “The last demo consisted of over 248 tons of stockpiled...