Number: 1995-12
WHEREAS, the mainline levee portion of the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) project has resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of acres of bottomland forests in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Vicksburg District, proposes to continue work on the mainline levee that would clear an additional 11,400 acres of forested wetlands in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, this proposed work would destroy valuable fish and wildlife resources, including fish spawning habitat, in the batture lands along the Mississippi River without minimizing environmental impacts or without providing adequate compensation; and
WHEREAS, the Corps maintains that they do not have to coordinate with the federal or state agencies as required by the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (FWCA) since greater than 60 percent of the project costs were obligated before the FWCA became law; and
WHEREAS, the 1976 Environmental Impact Statement for this work is outdated and the last opportunity for public comment was in 1978; and
WHEREAS, there are a number of significant issues which need to be addressed, including a range of alternatives, mitigation for loss of bottomland hardwoods, water quality and potential impacts to the federally listed threatened Louisiana black bear;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in its Annual Meeting assembled March 18-20, 1995 in Washington, D.C., opposes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi River and Tributaries Mainline Levee construction Project, as currently proposed; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation recommends that the Corps comply with the FWCA supplement and update the 1976 Environmental Impact Study, reconsider alternatives, including a no action alternative, that would promote public safety while minimizing adverse impacts on the human and natural environment, provide an additional opportunity for public comment through a new public notice, provide adequate mitigation for any loss of wetlands and compensation for unavoidable fish and wildlife habitat losses; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon the Corps to reinitiate consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to fulfill its obligations under the Endangered Species Act.