EP 1165-2-1
30 Jul 99
CHAPTER 7
REPORT PREPARATION, PROCESSING AND PROJECT
AUTHORIZATION, DEAUTHORIZATION
7-1.
Preauthorization Planning Reports.
a. Types and Objectives. Feasibility studies are undertaken in
response to specific Congressional direction or other available
authority, with the basic objective of formulating recommendable
solutions to water resources problems. Several kinds of planning
reports are prepared, depending on the genesis of the study, to
document results and seek project authorizations.
(1) Feasibility (Survey) Report. This report is prepared in
partial or full response to a Congressional study authority. (When in
partial response it is referred to as an "interim" feasibility report,
unless it follows one or more such reports and completes response to
the study authority. Then it is referred to as the "final"
feasibility report.)
(2) Section 216 Report. This is a feasibility (survey) report
to Congress recommending changes to a completed project. Decision to
undertake feasibility studies and prepare a report rests with the
Corps. Such reports are authorized by Section 216 of the Flood
Control Act of 1970.
(3) Fish and Wildlife Report. This is a report to Congress
recommending the addition, to an authorized project, of land
acquisition and other measures for fish and wildlife purposes as
warranted but not provided for in the project authority. Such reports
are prepared under authority of Section 2 of the Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act or, if the project is complete, under Section 216.
b. Organization and Content. It is intended that each report
be a complete decision making document. Detail shall be sufficient to
fully support the essential analyses and conclusions of the study, to
support the recommendations, and to enable reviewers to understand the
rationale for the conclusions and recommendations. The main report
will describe and summarize the results of studies so that, in
combination with conclusions and recommendations, it will constitute a
cohesive, readable document easily understood by interested laymen.
The report shall demonstrate conformance with WRC's Principles and
Guidelines (P&G) including suitable consideration of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental statutes. If
recommendations are for authorization of a Federal project or other
overt Federal action, the main report will incorporate a concise
environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS)
whichever is most appropriate. Particular care shall be given to so
writing the report recommendations that, should Congressional
authorization be provided by reference thereto, there can be no doubt
about what was intended and what is authorized. (See paragraph 5-13)
c. Study Conduct. Feasibility studies will be conducted in two
phases to provide a mechanism to accommodate greater non-Federal
participation in Corps feasibility studies. The reconnaissance
(first) phase will provide a preliminary indication of the potential
of the study to yield solutions which could be recommended to the
Congress as Federal projects. The results will provide the basis for
evaluation, within and outside the Corps and the Administration, of
the merits of continuing the study and allocating feasibility phase
7-1
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