VICKSBURG, Miss.,
August 4, 2014 -- The Mississippi River Commission will conduct its annual low-water
inspection trip on the Mississippi River August 15-22, 2014.
Four public meetings
have been scheduled aboard the Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI
in selected towns along the river so commission members have the opportunity to
meet with local partners, stakeholders and residents and hear their concerns,
ideas and issues. The meeting places, dates and times are as follows:
·
August
15 9:00 a.m. Rosedale, Miss. (Port of Rosedale)
·
August
18 9:00 a.m. Caruthersville, Mo. (City Front)
·
August
19 9:00 a.m. Memphis, Tenn.
(Mud Island Landing)
·
August
22 9:00 a.m. Houma, La. (Enterprise Marine Dock)
All meetings are open
to the public. Anyone with an interest is invited to present their views and
suggestions on matters affecting the water resources infrastructure needs in
the valley, including flood control and the Mississippi River and Tributaries
project, environmental issues, recreation, navigation and others.
The agenda for each
public meeting will be as follows:
1.
Summary report by president of the commission on national and regional
issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and commission programs and
projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
2.
District commander's overview for the commission on current project
issues in the respective district area.
3.
Presentations to the commission by local organizations and members of
the public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or
projects of the commission and the Corps of Engineers.
The commission will also
travel the McClellan–Kerr Arkansas
River Navigation System August 10-14, with stops in the following
locations to conduct dialogue sessions with partners and stakeholders (meetings
are not open to the public):
·
August
10 Tulsa and Muskogee, Okla.
·
August
12 Fort Smith, Ark.
·
August
13 Little Rock, Ark.
·
August
14 Montgomery Point Lock and Dam
The
MRC, established in 1879, is composed of seven members, each nominated by the
President of the United States and vetted by the Senate. Three of the
organization's members are officers of the Corps of Engineers; one member is
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and three members are
civilians, two of whom are civil engineers.
General
duties of the commission include recommendation of policy and work programs,
the study of and reporting upon the necessity for modifications or additions to
the flood control and navigation project, recommendation upon any matters
authorized by law, and making semi-annual inspection trips. The duties of the
commission include the entire length of the Mississippi River from its
headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minn., to Head of Passes, La.,
where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of
Mexico.
The
purpose of the public meetings is to maintain a dialogue, an exchange of
viewpoints and ideas flowing between the watershed interests, the public and
the Corps. Presentations by the public are made orally, but a copy of the
remarks should be presented to the commission for the official record and
written response.
The
public hearing process is unique to the Mississippi River Commission and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The benefits of hearing the issues and concerns first
hand through the public hearing process are invaluable to the commission and
the Corps. Also, the interaction with congressional, federal and state interests,
local boards and non-government organizations and the public is crucial to the
decision-making process for the nation’s water resources.
Since
1879, the seven-member Presidentially appointed Mississippi River Commission
has developed and matured plans for the general improvement of the Mississippi
River from the Head of Passes to the Headwaters. The Mississippi River
Commission brings critical engineering representation to the drainage basin,
which impacts 41% of the United States and includes 1.25 million square miles,
over 250 tributaries, 31 states and
two Canadian provinces.
Listening,
inspecting, partnering and engineering since 1879.
- end -