OK – here goes – this might get a little long, but you asked! In 1986 Congress passed legislation that authorized the Environmental Management Program (EMP for short). This was part of the legislation that also replaced the old Lock and Dam 26 at Alton, Ill with a new structure. The EMP program was authorized at a level of 19.5 million dollars (remember that authorization and appropriation levels are not always the same – in fact, during the initial years, although 19.5 million was authorized, only 10-12 million was appropriated). The EMP program has 2 objectives, 1) the restortion and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat along 1,300 miles of Upper Mississippi River (UMR) in five states (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri) and 2)the long-term monitoring on the environmental health of the River. In 1999, Congress reauthorized the EMP Program at a 33.5 million dollar funding level and also declared the UMR a “nationally significant ecosystem and a nationally significant commerical navigation system”.
Since its inception, the EMP Program has resored, protected or enhanced roughtly 68,000 acres of fish and wildlife habitat on the UMR. There are 37 projects (costing about 67 million dollars) that have been completed (you need to contact your local DNR for a list in your area). There are currently 30 additional projects in the planning, design, or construction phase (with a projected cost of $100 million), with additional future needs still to be identified.
The longt-term monitoring program supports 6 field stations (Lake City, MN (Pool 4); LaCrosse, WI (Pool 8); Bellevue, IA (Pool 13); Alton, IL (Pool 26), Jackson, MO (open river); and Havanna, IL (Il River, LaGrange Pool). These stations routinely collect standardized (this simply means they all collect data in the same way so it is comparable) data on water quality, sediment, fish, invertibrates, and vegetation. This data collection has been going on since 1989 and really has some good information to see how things change over time on the UMR.
However – the program has really come under fire of late – with the current administration FY 2003 reducing funding to 12.2 million (A REDUCTION OF 40 PERCENT FROM FY 2002), and the 12.2 million represents only (1/3 OF THE AUTHORIZED FUNDING LEVEL OF $33.5 MILLION). I know this sounds like a lot of money, and it its, but it takes a lot of big equipment to dredge thousands of cubic yards of sediments out of a backwater and then place it somewhere with little or no enviromental damage or even environmental enhancement.
About 2/3’s of the EMP funding is devoted to habitat restoration such as island creation, backwater lake dredging, side channel closure or opening, and water level control. The drastically reduced budget will dramatically affect these ongoing projects in the following manner: planning will be reduced in 8 projects: design work will be cut in 6 projects and completely abandoned in 6 projects: construction work will be halted in 7 projects and significantly reduced in 2 more projects: In short – there will be enough money to meet the construction schedule for only 5 projects.
The long-term monitoring effort will also be severly affected. Either some of the sampling will have to be eliminated or 2 of the stations will have to be closed down, losing personnel and expertise.
These Funding cutbacks could not have come at a worse time. The Corps of Engineers has recently restarted the Navigation Expansion Study on the UMR and ILL River with the expectation that the sudy will set the future course for improving both the river navigation infrastructure (locks and dams) and ecosystem. We need a strong EMP program to meet the rivers’ environmental needs.
So – what can you do? I have attached a recent letter from a citizens group that needs support (letters, emails, telephone calls) to you federal representatives in support of this program – here it is.
Cc: Proctor, Ben
Subject: EMP update
Just to keep you posted.
Ben Proctor in our DC office has been meeting with appropriators on EMP…it
doesn’t look good yet, but we’re still hopeful.
A key piece of advice is the lack of info appropriators and people in DC aren’t hearing on EMP.
Now is a crucial time to start letter-writing campaigns and alert these folks on the importance of EMP…grassroots started EMP and it’s important they hear the program still works.
IN particular, provide facts on what will be lost without full EMP funding;reference recent news articles about importance of putting environmental needs even with navigation needs; include some of the support material/data
the National Academy of Sciences has reported.
Just some ideas…
Contact folks you know in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
River state Appropriators are (for a complete list of appropriators, please
view website: http://www.house.gov/appropriations/:
Wisconsin
David R. Obey – Wisconsin (7th Cong. District)
2314 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
MINNESOTA
Martin Olav Sabo – Minnesota (5th Cong. District)
2336 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
MISSOURI
Jo Ann Emerson – Missouri (8th Cong. District)
326 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
IOWA
Tom Latham
440 CANNON HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20515
Illinois:
Jesse L. Jackson Jr. – Illinois (2nd Cong. District)
313 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Ray Lahood – Illinois (18th Cong. District)
1424 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Thanks.
karrie jackelen
Robin A. Grawe, Secretary
Mississippi River Citizen Commission
678 Sioux St.
Winona, MN 55987
507-454-4141
