VICKSBURG, MISS., June 26, 2013 – Brigadier General Anthony C. Funkhouser was officially appointed as a member of the Mississippi River Commission by President Barack Obama June 25, 2013.
Brig. Gen. Funkhouser is commander of the Northwestern Division (NWD), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, headquartered in Portland, Ore. In this position, he oversees an annual program of more than $3 billion in civil works, environmental restoration and military construction in more than a dozen states, primarily within the Columbia and Missouri river basins.
As Division Commander, he is responsible for providing guidance and direction to five operating district commands located in Portland, Ore., Seattle and Walla Walla, Wash., Kansas City, Mo., and Omaha, Neb., with a combined professional workforce of nearly 4,800. Key missions include support to military installations economic growth and environmental sustainability, timely response to natural disasters, and strengthening national security.
The Corps of Engineers members of the Mississippi River Commission provide representation and leadership from the nation’s three largest watersheds:
- Mississippi River
- Missouri River
- Ohio River
All MRC members are nominated and appointed by the President of the United States.
The commission was created by an Act of Congress on June 28, 1879 to plan and provide for the general improvement of the entire length of the Mississippi River. This includes improving navigation, preventing destructive floods and facilitating commerce. The presidential appointees consist of three officers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and three civilians, two of whom must be civil engineers.
The commission itself is an advisory body. Its general duties include recommending policy and work programs, studying and reporting on modifications or changes to the Mississippi River and Tributaries project, commenting on matters authorized by law, making inspection trips, and holding public hearings that facilitate exchanges of viewpoints and ideas between the public and the MRC. Since 1879 the commission has been “listening, inspecting, partnering and engineering” with water resource interests in a watershed that is influenced by the drainage of over 41 percent of the United States and two provinces of Canada.