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A Publication of Guidry News Service |
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A Publication of Guidry News Service |
The President’s total budget request for shore protection projects and studies for FY 2005 is $63,728,000. Howard Marlowe, a lobbyist for several governmental and community entities on the Texas Gulf Coast, notes that the request is a 25.6 percent reduction in funding from the President’s request for FY 2004. "Overall, the
President cuts $356 million from the Corp's Civil Works program,"
Marlowe notes, referring to funding for the United States Army Corps of
Engineers. "The agency's budget for the current fiscal year
is $4.571 billion. The FY 2005 budget request decreases that
amount to $4.215 billion." Marlowe said his initial analysis of the budget request "discovers a trend to continue minimal funding for ongoing projects, while retreating from new beach studies and construction projects". He points out that the President also proposes a new policy for beach nourishment. "Only the initial construction will be funded," Marlowe notes. "Periodic renourishments will be the responsibility of the local sponsor." As one example of this policy, Marlowe says the beach renourishment project in Venice, Florida does not receive funding in the budget.
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