EP 1165-2-1
30 Jul 99
(c) The regional economic development (RED) account registers
changes in the distribution of regional economic activity (i.e.,
income and employment).
(d) The other social effects (OSE) account registers plan
effects from perspectives that are relevant to the planning process,
but are not reflected in the other three accounts (e.g., community
impacts, health and safety, displacement, and energy conservation).
(e) Display of the national economic development account is
required. Since technical data concerning benefits and costs in the
NED account are expressed in monetary units, the NED account already
contains a weighting of effects; therefore, appraisal is applicable
only to EQ, RED and OSE evaluations. The period of analysis is to be
the same for each alternative plan. Planners shall also identify
areas of risk and uncertainty in their analyses and describe them
clearly, so that decisions can be made with knowledge of the degree of
the reliability of the estimated benefits and cost and of the
effectiveness of alternative plans. Flood damage reduction, storm
damage reduction, deep-draft navigation and major rehabilitation
studies will be performed using a risk-based analytical framework.
This framework captures and quantifies the extent of the risk and
uncertainty, and enables quantified trade-offs between risk and cost.
(5) Compare Alternative Plans. Plan comparison focuses on the
differences among the alternative plans determined in the evaluate
effects step. Differences should be organized on the basis of the
effects in the four accounts. Monetary and nonmonetary effects should
be comparably represented in narrative or display.
(6) Plan Selection. The culmination of the planning process is
the selection of a recommended plan or the decision to take no action.
After consideration of the various alternative plans, their effects,
the sponsor's and public comments, the NED plan is selected unless an
exception is justified and granted by the Assistant Secretary of the
Army. For plans having only ecosystem restoration outputs, the plan
with the greatest net ecosystem restoration benefits, and for plans
having both economic and restoration benefits, the plan with the
greatest net sum of economic and restoration benefits is to be
selected, consistent with both protecting the Nation's environment and
Secretarial exception.
b. Iteration. Planning is a dynamic process requiring
refinement and refocusing during the course of the study. Planners
should be flexible and responsive to internal and external data
development which could necessitate a reiteration of one or more of
the planning steps.
c. Two-Phase Planning Process. Studies are generally to be
conducted under the two phase planning process. The two-phase
planning process consists of: (1) a reconnaissance phase culminating
in a certified Section 905(b) of WRDA 1986 Analysis and the negotiated
feasibility cost sharing agreement, and (2) the feasibility phase
resulting in the Corps feasibility report, expression of related views
by the Office of Management and Budget, and the ASA(CW) report to the
Congress. An expedited reconnaissance phase process was implemented
in FY 97. The new process will result in a Section 905(b) of WRDA
1986 Analysis of limited scope that complies with the requirements for
signing the FCSA. Most of the reconnaissance phase effort and funds
will be devoted to the preparation of the Project Study Plan (PSP).
5-5
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