 |
| A public
meeting focusing on management of the Mississippi River is scheduled
Friday at Melvin Price Locks and Dam near Alton, Ill. The meeting
is part of the Army Corps of Engineers’ low-water inspection
tour.
|
Low-Water
Inspection Tour Gives NCGA Members an Opportunity to Voice Support
for Lock Modernization (8-17-04)
Corn growers in the Upper
Mississippi Basin have one last opportunity to personally voice
their support of the Army Corps of Engineers’ lock modernization
and ecosystem restoration plan released in May, according to the
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA).
The Mississippi River
Commission, a seven-member board appointed by the president of the
United States, began its annual low-water inspection tour Monday
aboard the Corps’ motor vessel Mississippi. The tour is accompanied
by a series of seven public meetings in cities along the river,
according to NCGA Production and Stewardship Action Team Chair Ron
Fitchhorn.
“This tour serves
as a great opportunity for growers to let the commission know we
support the Corps’ plan and the lock improvement provisions
in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA),” he said, adding
that both WRDA and the Corps’ framework call for construction
of seven new 1,200-foot locks and the implementation of small-scale
measures to alleviate traffic. “It also gives us a chance
to thank the Corps leadership for its work on this critical issue.”
Fitchhorn, who grows
corn and soybeans near McLean, Ill., said recent projections of
a record corn crop and robust exports strengthen the case for immediate
congressional passage of legislation that would authorize lock modernization
on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
“We’re looking
at a record crop this fall after a record crop last year. As a result,
there will be an enormous amount of corn moving on the rivers in
the next few years,” he said. “And the U.S. Department
of Agriculture is projecting corn exports to grow 44 percent over
the next decade. There’s going to be significant demand on
the river system and, in order to be ready for the increased traffic,
Congress needs to authorize lock modernization now.”
The inspection tour stopped today in Dubuque, Iowa, following a
meeting in La Crosse, Wis., Monday. Public meetings will also be
held in the following locations:
• Aug. 20 - Alton,
Ill.; Melvin Price Locks & Dam
• Aug. 23 - New Madrid, Mo.; City Front
• Aug. 24 - Memphis, Tenn.; City Front
• Aug. 25 - Greenville, Miss.; City Front
• Aug. 27 - Houma, La.; Cenac Towing Co. Dock
All meetings begin at
9 a.m. and include summary reports by the commission and Corps;
an overview of current Corps project issues in the respective district
areas; and stakeholder presentations and comments on any issues
affecting the programs or projects of the commission and Corps.