 |
| In a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, NCGA says funding for lock
construction should be allocated separately from funding for ecosystem
restoration. Modern infrastructure, like Mel Price Locks and Dam near
Alton, Ill., are essential to the competitiveness of U.S. farmers. |
Funding
for Lock Construction, Ecosystem Restoration Should be Separate,
NCGA Says (6-28-04)
Funding for navigation improvements on the upper Mississippi and Illinois
rivers should be allocated autonomously of ecosystem restoration, according
to a National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) letter to the Army Corps of
Engineers.
“The Corps should not recommend any funding scheme that directly ties
(ecosystem) restoration to navigation,” NCGA President Dee Vaughan
wrote in the letter. The Corps has more than 100 years of navigation system
management, Vaughan noted, while major ecosystem restoration would be a relatively
new function for the agency.
“While there are obvious linkages between the two, neither should
be directly tied nor allowed to negatively impact the other,” the letter
states. “Navigation should be managed so not to limit its future potential
for growth.”
NCGA also commended the Corps for its work on the Upper Mississippi River-Illinois
Waterway System Navigation Feasibility Study, a 12-year analysis of several
options for future operations of the complex river system. In May, the Corps
study culminated in a recommendation to significantly restore ecosystems
and construct seven new 1,200-foot locks on the two rivers.
According to the letter, the preferred
alternative will meet corn growers’ needs
for efficient and modern transportation systems, access to important markets
and a viable environmental landscape.
“It is a balanced, reasonable approach to a national transportation
problem that will address the challenges of today, while ensuring the United
States retains a competitive advantage in the international marketplace,” the
letter states.
NCGA also noted that projections for future demand in the world market illustrate
the necessity of an efficient, reliable inland waterway transportation system.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), corn exports are
forecasted to grow 44 percent over the next decade and agricultural exports
for 2004 are expected to be at a record $61.5 billion, a $5.3 billion increase
over last year.
The letter encourages the Corps to continue to work closely with stakeholders,
maintain its general policy and practice of openness and carefully consider
the ever-changing conditions and needs when implementing the concept of adaptive
management on this project.
To view the letter in its entirety,
please click here.