Funds too late for Mississippi’s current plight

Funds too late for MississippiÆs current plight    The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved a bill providing $30.6 billion for fiscal 2012 for the Army Corps of Engineers, Energy Department and Interior Department water programs.
   But an advocate for maritime interests on the lower Mississippi River said the approval would do nothing to alleviate draft limitations on a portion of the river where a light-loaded tanker went aground earlier this week.
   “This is for fiscal year 2012, beginning on Oct. 1, and thus too late to help with our immediate need,” said Sean M. Duffy Sr., administrator for the Big River Coalition and advocate for the Mississippi River Maritime Association.
   An amendment from Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., to the appropriations bill provides nearly $1.03 billion in emergency funding to the Army Corps to repair damage caused by recent storms and floods, and to prepare for future disaster events. The funding is offset by a rescission of the remaining emergency high speed rail funding.
   On Wednesday a tanker was refloated after going aground earlier in the week because of high sediment levels in the river.
   The tanker Ratna Puja went aground at Mile 4.5, adjacent to the upper end of Cubits Gap. This tanker was exporting a cargo of carbon black oil (used in manufacturing) and was loaded only to a draft of 42 feet when it grounded at about 6:30 p.m. Monday.
   Normally the channel is maintained at 45 feet, but the Associated Branch Pilots in Louisiana, whose members guide ships over the bar at Southwest pass, reduced the draft of ships entering the river to 43 feet because of heavy deposits of sediment.
   Despite the grounding of the ship loaded to 42 feet, the Bar Pilots said Friday morning, ships loaded to 43 feet were still being permitted.
   The Army Corps has four dredges working to re-establish the 45-foot channel. ' Chris Dupin