National Academy Of Sciences Report Blasts Army Corps Mississippi River Study

(11 December 2003 — Washington, DC) A revised study of navigation needs for the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is based upon unrealistic estimates of future barge traffic, according to a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report issued today.  The report, entitled Review of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Upper Mississippi-Illinois Waterway Restructured Feasibility Study: Interim Report, said the Corps should instead reduce waterway congestion by implementing scheduling, congestion fees, helper boats and other small-scale measures that can reduce lock congestion now.

A separate NAS panel made the same recommendations in 2001 after Corps economist Donald Sweeney disclosed that senior Corps officials ordered him to exaggerate the benefits of longer locks.

“Congress and the Administration should demand a credible, trustworthy assessment of navigation needs,” said Environmental Defense water resources specialist Scott Faber. “The future of the Mississippi and, frankly, the entire agency hangs in the balance. This report provides an opportunity for the Corps to finally reject economic tools that exaggerate the benefits of big water projects, and to instead use scheduling, helper boats and other small-scale solutions to ease waterway congestion while the agency gets the math right.”

Today, a new NAS panel urged the Corps to:

• Develop Credible Economic Models - develop economic models that properly recognize the impact of rail and ethanol plants on demand for barges. The Corps is using two economic models rejected by the 2001 panel; one model was also rejected by the Bush Administration.
• Develop Credible Traffic Forecasts - develop traffic forecasts that reflect current traffic trends. River traffic has not increased in more than 20 years.
• Implement Small-Scale Measures - immediately implement scheduling, congestion fees, helper boats and other small-scale measures that can reduce lock congestion now.
• Restore Natural River Processes - focus greater attention on projects that restore natural river processes, such as floods and droughts.

For more information on Army Corps reform and the Mississippi River, go to http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?ContentID=2215