Thursday, July 27, 2006
Contact: Spence Jackson, 573-751-0290
Gov. Blunt Calls On Corps Of Engineers To Reopen Missouri River For Navigation
JEFFERSON CITY– Gov. Matt Blunt today expressed his frustration in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ inability to keep the Missouri River open for navigation during the already shortened navigation season and called on the Corps to reopen the river to vital commerce.
“I am extremely disappointed that the Corps has failed to fulfill the federal government’s responsibility to provide support for navigation as is required by law,” Blunt said. “We are at the height of the construction season, and the asphalt and cement that was contracted to be shipped on the river, is not moving.”
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a safety advisory Tuesday (July 25) that for all practical purposes closed the Missouri River to commercial navigation. The Corps of Engineers operates the Missouri River, and is obligated by federal law to support navigation. The Corps had previously assured Blunt that the federal government would maintain river commerce throughout navigation season.
The governor indicated that the Corps’ lack of compliance with federal law is harming the economic interests of the citizens of Missouri. In the absence of navigation on the Missouri River, road building and other construction projects could be delayed. Shipments of agricultural products have also already been halted.
In order to provide enough water for navigation, the Corps must release enough water from upstream dams to meet set flow targets at different locations along the river. In recent weeks, the Corps has not met these requirements. In addition, riverboat pilots have been voicing concern for years that the Corps has not been adequately maintaining the navigation channel. In a meeting with the navigation industry on Tuesday, officials with the Corps indicated that it might take two weeks to fix one of the navigation structures that is causing some of the problems that led to the Coast Guard’s advisory.
“In addition to being required by federal law, reliable support to navigation is critical to a variety of economic interests in the State of Missouri,” Blunt said. “Shippers plan months in advance to execute contracts and coordinate the delivery of products and commodities. The Corps’ failure to support navigation right in the heart of the already-shortened navigation season undermines that reliability.”
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