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Army Corps of Engineers to
Present Revised Environmental Plan for Water Controls for Missouri River
(8-2-01)
The
Army Corps of Engineers today released a statement that a Revised Environmental
Impact Statement for the Missouri River Master Water Control Manual
would be released at the end of August.
Senator
Kit Bond (R-MO) has lead the bipartisan campaign to block the flow changes
that could result in a "spring rise" in the river could cause
floods and that an accompanying summer drawdown in the water level by
several feet would threaten water supplies. The Army Corps of Engineers
now plans to review alternative plans for water control other than the
spring rise mandated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
NCGA has lobbied against the Fish and Wildlife Service plan for flow
control, pointing out a spring rise would adversely affect citizens
and farmers from Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
NCGA
President and Battle Creek, Neb. farmer Lee Klein said he is extremely
pleased with the announcement. "NCGA believes that there are other
alternatives to protect threatened and endangered species, other than
the spring rise on the Missouri River, that do not have the potential
for negative effects on farmers and transportation of our commodities.
These plans be given consideration by the Army Corps."
In
an official statement, Brigadier General Carl Strock, the Notherwestern
Division Engineer indicated that the Corps' ultimate goal is to select
an alternative that:
* Meets
the contemporary needs of the basin, as defined by the people of the
basin,
* Serves
the authorized purposes of the river system, and
* Does
not jeopardize the continued existence of fish and birds listed for
protection under the Endangered Species Act.
For
more information on spring rise, visit the NCGA website at http://www.ncga.com/transportation/main/index.html.
For a copy of the Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Summary,
go to http://www.nwd.usace.army.mil.
Last
reviewed August 2, 2001
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