Congress has spent plenty of money on engineering projects in Lousiana, but without a sense of priorities. "It has been explicit national policy not to set priorities, but instead to build any flood control or barge project if the Corps decides the benefits exceed the costs by 1 cent," said Tim Searchinger, a senior attorney at Environmental Defense. "Saving New Orleans gets no more emphasis than draining wetlands to grow corn and soybeans."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090805T.shtml