On a national level, the Value to the Nation program calculates, by USACE program, estimates of the annual National Economic Development (NED) benefits of USACE infrastructure to the nation, net NED benefits, and impacts to the U.S. Treasury from project outputs and related economic activities associated with USACE Civil Works programs. Detailed descriptions of the methodologies used to calculate NED benefits for each business line are provided below.
Net NED benefits are calculated as the NED benefits minus the costs of operations, maintenance, and investigations. Those costs are based on the President’s Budget for USACE. Monetary values in the national historic fast facts tables reflect FY 2016 price levels and are considered to be order of magnitude numbers.
In general, the estimates of revenues generated to the U.S. Treasury are calculated as increases in U.S. Treasury revenues in the form of increased tax payments and direct payments to the U.S. Treasury for vendible outputs plus decreases in expenditures in the form of decreased tax expenditures and assistance payments that accrue to the U.S. Treasury as a result of the USACE Civil Works program. The basic approach begins with the calculated NED benefits for each program, then estimates the impacts on federal revenues. The estimates provided in the national historic fast facts tables are approximations meant to capture order of magnitude and key revenue and tax components. These calculations use the latest available and applicable Internal Revenue Service data from a variety of publications. A summary of the methodology, by USACE program, for estimates of revenues generated to the U.S. Treasury are provided below.
- Flood Risk Management: Non-business casualty losses avoided + Business casualty losses avoided + Disaster assistance payments avoided
- Coastal Navigation: Increased revenues due to cost savings + Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund tax revenues
- Inland Navigation: Increased revenues due to cost savings + Inland Waterways Trust Fund tax revenues
- Water Supply: Repayment of investment cost + O&M costs + Interest – Cost of collection
- Hydropower: SEPA revenues + SWPA revenues + BPA revenues + WPA revenues
- Recreation: (NED benefits generated × Average individual tax rate) + USACE-collected fees for use of recreation facilities
In addition to the revenue generated by the USACE programs discussed above, USACE collects revenues from sale of agricultural, and fish and wildlife leases; from permits; and from sale of crops, timber, and sand and gravel. These collections generated about $24 million in 2016 annual revenues to the U.S. Treasury.