Corps to receive $55M more in emergency funds for dredging

The Army Corps of Engineers will be getting $55 million in emergency funds to pay for dredging the silting Mississippi River — a sum that will help the corps maintain the river’s channel to depths ships need to safely move up and down the waterway.

“Because of a lack of funding, the Corps had to significantly decrease their dredging activity on the Mississippi River last year,” Congressman Cedric Richmond, D-La., said Wednesday. “This caused restrictions on the amount cargo vessels could carry on the River, economic uncertainty for Louisiana businesses, and increased the chance of an environmental disaster. I’m happy that President Obama and his administration recognizes how important dredging is to improving the nation’s economy and doubling exports over the next four years. The additional $55 million will go a long way toward returning the Mississippi River to proper levels.”

Last week, when a 740 foot-long cargo ship carrying coal grounded in the Mississippi River below Venice, Louisiana, Con­gress­man Richmond immediately called on the Corps of Engineers to send its dredge, the Wheeler, to the site to begin dredging the area at once. Wednesday morning, the Corps of Engineers announced that the Wheeler would immediately sail from port and would be onsite by Wednesday evening.

“Since joining Congress, I’ve told everyone that if we fail to dredge the Mississippi River a potential economic, safety and environmental catastrophe could occur,” Richmond explained last week. “I’ve spoken with House leadership, President Obama, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard. I’m glad that the ship has been freed. We are lucky that it is not currently blocking traffic or an environmental hazard, but this incident highlights the danger of failing to dredge.”

Richmond recently led the Louisiana House delegation in asking the Army Corp of Engineers and the Office of Management and Budget for adequate dredging funding for Louisiana’s waterways.

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., says the new funds are from a recent emergency spending bill and were allocated to the corps last week.

Rachel Rodi, a corps spokeswoman, says the money increases the corps’ ability to dredge the river and “eases concerns for the rest of the year.”

The corps had about $70 million this year for dredging. With the new funds, the corps will have more than $120 million, which is more than the corps has gotten in years past for dredging.

This article was originally published in the January 23, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper