[04/11/01] President Bush’s first budget contains $874 million for the Vicksburg-based Mississippi Valley Division, a reduction of about 18 percent from the $1.068 billion that was in the Fiscal 2001 federal spending plan.

The Mississippi Valley Division oversees the work of six Army Corps of Engineers districts that stretch from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico. Its area of responsibility for flood control, environmental, recreation and other civil works covers 307,000 square miles.

The budget for Fiscal Year 2002 lists Bush’s proposed spending, but presidential budget are advisory. Congress will make actual allocations for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

Among the items in the MVD budget, Bush is asking for $17 million to fund studies and preconstruction engineering and design work. This figure is about 19 percent less than the $21 million for 2001.

Under the heading of general construction, the FY 2002 plan allocates $190 million, down about 10 percent from the previous year’s $210 million.

A total of $335 million is listed for general operation and maintenance compared with the previous year’s $352 million, down about 5 percent.

A 20 percent reduction is listed for the flood-control work of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project, for which Bush is suggesting to Congress $280 million. This compares to $348 million in FY 2001.

The line-item for the cleanup of sites under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program is listed at $52 million, a drop of about 5 percent from the FY 2001’s $55 million.

In addition, the Corps of Engineers includes $128 million for the Corps nationwide regulatory program and $153 million for general expenses. These funds will be distributed to the Corps’ eight divisions where they will be used to fund the permit program for dredge and fill material in waters in the United States and the general operating expenses for the division headquarters.

In a briefing during a stop in Vicksburg during the Mississippi River Commission’s high water inspection trip, Brig. Gen. Edwin J. Arnold Jr., MRC president-designate and MVD commander, predicted the president’s budget would reflect about a 14 percent drop in overall Corps spending, but said he did not believe the cuts would be applied evenly.

Also during that talk, Arnold also predicted the MVD budget would be about $900 million with about $300 million for the MR&T Project.