GAO to Army Corps: Make climate resilience a core value

By Daniel Cusick | 02/16/2024 06:20 AM EST

Doing so would require a “dedicated climate resilience staff with expertise at all agency levels,” said investigators with the Government Accountability Office.

Pumps put in place by the Army Corps of Engineers divert water from New Orleans' 17th Street Canal.

Pumps put in place by the Army Corps of Engineers divert water from New Orleans' 17th Street Canal. Bill Haber/AP

Federal investigators on Thursday recommended a set of sweeping reforms to the Army Corps of Engineers’ flood control programs to better prepare U.S. communities from worsening climate impacts.

In a 105-page report, the Government Accountability Office identified 14 options for the Army Corps to respond more effectively to flood disasters that are becoming more frequent and destructive.
105-page report

Top of the list was GAO’s suggestion that the Army Corps incorporate climate resilience into its everyday operations.

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The benefits of that approach would be increased “oversight and accountability” of climate fortification efforts, according to the report. But the GAO warned this step would not be effective “without dedicated climate resilience staff with expertise at all agency levels.”

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