Number: 1978-21
WHEREAS, the scenic Upper Mississippi River Basin presently provides significant wildlife habitat and an excellent fishery, and is the location of two national wildlife refuges; and
WHEREAS, increased barge traffic in the Upper Basin would threaten these major natural resource values by increasing dredging and dredge disposal for channel maintenance and by intensifying stream bank erosion and the churning up of bottom sediments; and
WHEREAS, channel maintenance and construction and lock and dam construction along the Mississippi, Illinois, and Upper Mississippi Rivers are financed entirely by the federal government, thus subsidizing commercial large operators and creating an artificial incentive to increase barge traffic and deepen the channel of the Upper Mississippi from nine feet to twelve feet; and
WHEREAS, Congress now is considering legislation which would: 1. require that commercial barge operators contribute to the cost of waterway construction and maintenance; 2. prohibit deepening of the Upper Mississippi River channel; and, 3. with the exception of Lock and Dam 26 at Alton, Ill., prohibit further expansion of the Mississippi River waterway system until a master plan based on transportation and environmental studies has been completed;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 16-19, 1978, in Phoenix, Ariz., hereby expresses its support of the imposition of user fees on barge operators to finance all new construction costs and all maintenance costs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization opposes deepening of the Upper Mississippi channel, at least until the master plan and associated environmental studies of the entire system are completed, reviewed, and determined to be acceptable.