Yes, the Fargo Moorhead Diversion and Dam violates Executive Order 11988.
Executive Order 11988 requires federal agencies to avoid to the extent possible the long and short-term adverse impacts associated with the occupancy and modification of flood plains and to avoid direct and indirect support of floodplain development wherever there is a practicable alternative.
In accomplishing this objective, “each agency shall provide leadership and shall take action to reduce the risk of flood loss, to minimize the impact of floods on human safety, health, and welfare, and to restore and preserve the natural and beneficial values served by flood plains in carrying out its responsibilities” for the following actions:
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acquiring, managing, and disposing of federal lands and facilities; |
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providing federally-undertaken, financed, or assisted construction and improvements; |
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conducting federal activities and programs affecting land use, including but not limited to water and related land resources planning, regulation, and licensing activities. |
The USACE and Fargo have not exercised due care in performing their duties pursuant to Executive Order 11988.
Viable alternatives do exist, however, they have been procedure-ally disregarded.
The current LPP calls for willful destructive development of the natural flood plains both south and north of Fargo for future economic development.
The current LPP causes significant impact to the natural flood plain:
FM area geographic footprint:
88.64 sq miles, “pre” project
261 sq miles, “post” project
The current LPP proposes to:
• displace over 1,000 taxpayers in 3 communities,
• impact historical structures,
• disturb natural wildlife habitat,
• financially impact 3 school districts,
• displace several farming operations and,
• relocate flood water from the natural flood plain into new areas in four counties.
The Corps has moved double talk to a level only achieved by the very few.
See Main Report FEIS 3.8.3.4.5 Floodplain Impacts:
“Because of the different impacts on existing floodplain, the FCP alignment is more acceptable than the LPP or ND35K plan alignment to people and agencies concerned with expanding floodplain development and protection of existing floodplain function.”
Apparently the Corps of Engineers is not concerned with expanding floodplain development and protection of the flood plain.
.”–the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area is expected to grow at a rate of 266 acres per year, regardless of whether a flood risk management project is constructed. All three of the diversion channel alternatives (LPP, FCP or ND35K) are in compliance with Executive Order 11988 and are acceptable from that perspective”.
From that perspective, the flood plain can be impacted because Fargo needs to grow into the flood plain. That makes the impacts acceptable?
The World Bank estimates that forcible “development-induced displacement and resettlement” now affects 10 million people per year. According to the World Bank an estimated 33 million people have been displaced by development projects such as dams, urban development and irrigation canals in India alone.
India is well ahead in this respect. A country with as many as over 3600 large dams within its belt can never be the exceptional case regarding displacement. The number of development induced displacement is higher than the conflict induced displacement in India. According to Bogumil Terminski an estimated more than 10 million people have been displaced by development each year.
Athough the exact number of development-induced displaced people (DIDPs) is difficult to know, estimates are that in the last decade 90–100 million people have been displaced by urban, irrigation and power projects alone, with the number of people displaced by urban development becoming greater than those displaced by large infrastructure projects (such as dams). DIDPs outnumber refugees, with the added problem that their plight is often more concealed.
This is what experts have termed “development-induced displacement.” According to Michael Cernea, a World Bank analyst, the causes of development-induced displacement include water supply (dams, reservoirs, irrigation); urban infrastructure; transportation (roads, highways, canals); energy (mining, power plants, oil exploration and extraction, pipelines); agricultural expansion; parks and forest reserves; and population redistribution schemes.