Reduced dredging chokes Mississippi River

Reduced dredging chokes Mississippi River    A coalition of organizations and businesses that rely on the Mississippi River as a transportation corridor said budget cutbacks and restrictions imposed on the Army Corps of Engineers have resulted in reduced maintenance dredging.
   Ken Wells, coordinator of the Big River Coalition, said those changes are already reducing the amount of cargo that can be loaded on ships and is restricting navigation.
   Noting President Obama's renewed call in Tuesday's 'State of the Union' address for doubling exports in five years, the coalition issued a statement that said, 'As the president launches an initiative to increase export competitiveness, the question is, how can we compete internationally if we choke off the largest maritime gateway for U.S. exports.
   'The Mississippi is becoming a poster child for the country's need to put its dollars where its talk is,' Wells said.
   'This time the Corps was given $63 million for the year and the average cost to maintain the river is running at about $104 million. This time, the Corps, instead of spending what they have and either working to reshuffle funds or looking for a supplemental or frankly get the administration to understand the need for the river, simply announced they are cutting back to stay within their budget.'
   Amy Larson, president of the National Waterways Conference, said restrictions placed on the Corps by the Office of Management and Budget has given it less flexibility in making up the funding shortfall by moving funds within its budget.”
   The coalition said the Corps has delayed dredging even though silting has caused the river to become steadily shallower and narrower for the past three months. The Corps has warned that dredging problems on the river could worsen unless action is taken.
   The coalition said that on Tuesday, the Associated Branch Pilots, representing state-licensed pilots who handle ships entering and leaving the mouth of the river, began limiting the draft of ships to no more than 44 feet of draft, down from the 45-foot channel depth authorized by Congress, because of inadequate dredging of the river.
   On other parts of the river, Wells said ships have been restricted to daylight navigation.
   The coalition said the Mississippi allows some 30 states to ship their goods worth more than $100 billion a year to export markets.