News Releases for June 2002
June 14, 2002
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Hoeven Urges Army Corps Of Engineers To Move Forward On Missouri River Master Manual
BISMARCK, N.D. - Governor John Hoeven today opposed the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to delay release of its revised plan for managing the Missouri River flow. The Corps had said it would issue its revised manual by May 31, and today said it would postpone the release indefinitely. Seven of the eight Upper Missouri River Basin states support a change in the Master Manual governing management of the river.
“After twelve years of effort, any further delay is unacceptable,” Hoeven said. “We are taking immediate steps to see that changes are implemented in a timely fashion. The Corps has all the facts necessary to arrive at a management plan that finally and fairly addresses the economic and environmental interests of the upper basin states - and that’s exactly what it should do.”
Hoeven said he has already contacted White House officials to oppose the delay, and to push the Administration to move forward with the preferred alternative to the current management plan. The Governor is also contacting Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton, who administers the Fish and Wildlife Service, to enlist her support for changing the management of the Missouri River. Norton will be in Bismarck on June 18th. A change to the Master Manual is needed to protect fish and other wildlife, including the piping plover, the least tern and the pallid sturgeon.
The Corps has historically managed the flow of the Missouri to accommodate the downstream barge industry at the expense of upper basin tourism, recreational and environmental interests. The new preferred alternative would have retained water in the upper basin through the dry season, mitigating drought conditions, accommodating the recreational industry and enhancing habitat for wildlife. The recreation industry in the upper basin accounts for about $90 million in annual economic activity, whereas the barge industry accounts for just $7 million.
“The science, the economics and the law all support making a change in the Master Manual,” Hoeven said.
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