The nations' citizens and Louisiana deserve the 8/29 Investigation, a third-party independent analysis of the flood protection failures during Hurricane Katrina because:

• the official levee investigation, the Intergency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET) was managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the same agency responsible for the flood protection's performance - a clear conflict of interest.
• two significant non-governmental levee analysis teams, the Independent Levee Investigation Team and Team- Louisiana have yielded results that conflict with the IPET in five (5) of seven (7) of the major levee failure mechanisms including the Industrial Canal breach.
• An ethics panel led by retired Congressman Sherwood Boehlert R-NY is underway to examine allegations that the American Society of Civil Engineers covered up engineering mistakes, downplayed the need to alter building standards, and used investigations including the one after Katrina to protect engineers and government agencies from lawsuits. As reported in the Associated Press, the panel was expected to issue a report by April, but has delayed the report until September 5, 2008.

For the above reasons, there is intense controversy surrounding the integrity of the official IPET. This is important because the IPET is currently being used to redesign and construct levees that protect the lives and property of 1.5 million Americans and also being used to educate civil engineers nationwide on levee construction.

The Army Corps of Engineers cannot predict the future and properly develop a flood protection system if it does not understand the past.

How would this Investigation be structured?
This Investigation would be an objective look by unbiased eyes at data already collected. It would use a model of bipartisan co-chairmanship to assure objectivity. Those who serve on it would be required to have expertise in the fields of engineering and flood control. And an investigation beginning three years after the hurricane would have the benefit of fresh looks at the evidence collected for similar studies in the immediate aftermath of the flooding.

What would the Investigation look at?
The 8/29 Investigation would examine decades of possibly flawed governmental policy at the federal, state and local level. It would be a comprehensive analysis of flood protection projects and the effects of coastal erosion. It would also examine how federally water projects in the Upper Midwest and High Plains may have caused Louisiana to lose land.

How much time and how much money are needed?
The study will cost about $5 million - one tenth of one percent of the money currently set aside to rebuild the flood protection. It will take about a year to complete.

Conclusion:
The 8/29 Investigation is vital to reestablishing public trust. This is not about placing blame, but about moving forward. The citizens of American deserve a levee investigation they can truly trust, and taxpayers need a full return on the investment dollars that Congress authorizes.

Current Supporters:

On June 11, 2007 the Legislature of the State of Louisiana 
unanimously passed a resolution calling for the 8/29 Investigation Act 
 
New Orleans City Council 
New Orleans Chamber of Commerce 
Jefferson Parish Council 
St. Bernard Parish Council 
St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce 
St. Tammany Parish Council 
Second Wind, Small Business Coalition Metro New Orleans 
 
New Orleans CityBusiness 
Gambit Weekly 
The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, LA) 
 
Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East 
NAACP - New Orleans 
National Urban League 
League of Women Voters, New Orleans 
National Council of Jewish Women, Greater New Orleans Section 
The Citizens Road Home Action Team, CHAT 
LA Roots  
ACORN 
 
Environmental Defense 
Sierra Club Delta Chapter 
Gulf Restoration Network 
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation 
Save our Wetlands, Inc  
 
Team Louisiana (PDF Link) / LA Dept of Transportation and Development  
Robert Bea, U Cal / Independent Levee Investigation Team 
Oliver Houck, Professor of Law, Tulane University  
 
US Senator Mary Landrieu D-LA 
US Sentator David Vitter R-LA  
US Congressman Zach Wamp R-TN 
US Congressman Charlie Melancon D-LA 
 
LA Governor Bobby Jindal R-LA  
 
LA Senator Walter Boasso R-1 
LA Senator Julie Quinn R-6 
LA Rep Karen Carter D-93 
LA Rep Charmaine Marchand D-99

For more facts, read our Factsheet.