Please accept the information below and attached describing the Full Funding Floats All Boats Campaign as developed by the Big River Coalition.
The Big River Coalition has formulated this Campaign in response to questions on how to solve the channel maintenance problems in Southwest Pass throughout the Great Flood of 2019. The approved documents are attached and have now beenmailed to the Honorable President Donald J. Trump, the Director and Deputy Director from the Office of Management and Budget and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works on behalf of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The information has been developed and updated based on the changing channel conditions and receipt of multiple disbursements of supplemental funding. The Coalition has also been actively working with members of the Louisiana Delegation through the efforts to restore channel dimensions during the record flood event of 2019. There has been a lot of discussion about how to fix the problems in Southwest Pass this year which is what led to the development of theFull Funding Floats All Boats Campaign.
The Big River Coalition requests the President’s Budget Request be increased to a level of $200,000,000 annually in an effort to promote trade, create jobs and enhance economic prosperity.
“Full Funding Floats All Boats Campaign” was designed to increase the MVN’s ability to maintain authorized channel dimensions of the Mississippi River Ship Channel. The Big River Coalition estimates that $200 million in annual funding would enhance the MVN’s ability to restore and maintain Congressionally authorized channel dimensions.
The Senate’s Fiscal Year 2020 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill unanimously passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on September 12, 2019. The details below are reproduced from the following link posted by the office of Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith’s office.
“WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today voted for committee passage of an appropriations measure that will provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with resources to improve and maintain flood control projects, ports, and waterways in Mississippi.
Hyde-Smith supported Senate Appropriations Committee approval of the FY2020 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill, which passed unanimously. The measure funds the Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) programs, as well as independent agencies like the Delta Regional Authority and Appalachian Regional Commission.”
Key points from the Regional Dredge Demonstration Program as detailed within the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill also focus on the Mississippi River Ship Channel and specify actions towards Southwest Pass:
Regional Dredge Demonstration Program – $525 million to establish a dredge demonstration program in the Gulf of Mexico and lower Mississippi River to dredge the lower Mississippi River channel and prevent opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway in the future.
- High hopper dredge utilization rates have resulted in limited dredge availability for nationally significant dredging products in recent years, in some cases critically impacting the acquisition process, particularly in the case of the Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River Baton Rouge to Gulf project. Corps dredging operations are basically planned, executed, and funded on a project-by-project basis, in an incremental fashion, on an annual cycle. To respond more effectively to critical national dredging requirements resulting from these significant recurring storm events, in combination with routine annual dredging demands, the Corps shall execute a multi-year dredging demonstration program within the Central Gulf Coast Region.
- Considering the increasingly common recurrence of annual requirements for emergency dredging at the Southwest Pass, as well as the uncertainty that this response places on other dredging projects being executed by the U.S. hopper fleet across the entire Gulf Coast and Eastern seaboard, the Corps shall establish such a regional program, focused on the central Gulf Coast. By including the Mississippi River Baton Rouge to Gulf (Southwest Pass) and other nearby Gulf Coast commercial navigation projects, goals of the program will include being more responsive to dredging demands within the region, while minimizing disruption to critical construction and maintenance dredging requirements enterprise wide.
- Fewer disruptions to other projects across the enterprise due to emergencies at Southwest Pass (pulling dredges off projects).
- Fewer “no bid” responses at Mississippi River Baton Rouge to Gulf hopper dredge contracts.
The Full Funding Floats All Boats Campaign can be supported with the increased funding proposed by the Senate Energy & Water Appropriations legislation and the Coalition’s leadership continues to advocate for increased funding to maintain authorized channel dimensions across the Mississippi River Ship Channel.
Secretary James Full Funding Floats all Boats Campaign
Cover Letter Secretary James Full Funding Floats All Boats Campaign 91519[9].pdf
The Big River Coalition is committed to ensuring the future of navigation on the Mississippi River Ship Channel (MRSC) as one of the nation’s fundamental natural resources and as a true economic generator. The Mississippi River has an annual economic impact of over $ 735 billion on the nation’s economy and is responsible for approximately 2.4 million jobs. A recent study by the American Association of Port Authorities found that ocean cargo activity accounts for approximately 26 percent of the U.S. economy, generating nearly $5 trillion in total economic activity and more than $321 billion in federal, state and local taxes.
“Flooding along the Mississippi River has increased both in frequency and magnitude during the past three to five decades. During the 49-year period of 1970 to 2018, stages at Cairo, Illinois – the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers – have exceeded major flood stage of 52.0 feet 16 times, as opposed to 13 times during the 72- year period of 1898 to 1969. The 2002 U.S. Department of State Climate Action Report stated that total annual precipitation has been increasing, not only across the United States but worldwide, over the past 100 years.”1
The Big River Coalition requests that navigation channels be included in efforts to modernize our nation’s infrastructure. The Mississippi River system is changing and becoming harder to manage due to more frequent highwater events and the associated impacts of inadequate funding. Adaptive financial commitments are needed to modernize our fluid infrastructure and maximize our maritime economic prowess while adjusting to the impacts of increased precipitation.
Please accept the enclosed information, the Big River Coalition respectfully request a meeting with you and leaders of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discuss these challenges.
President Trump Full Federal Campaign Letter
President Trump Full Federal Funding Campaign Letter 91219.pdf
Dear President Trump,
The Big River Coalition is committed to ensuring the future of navigation on the Mississippi River Ship Channel (MRSC) as one of the nation’s fundamental natural resources and as a true economic generator. The Mississippi River has an annual economic impact of over $ 735 billion on the nation’s economy and is responsible for approximately 2.4 million jobs. A recent study by the American Association of Port Authorities found that ocean cargo activity accounts for approximately 26 percent of the U.S. economy, generating nearly $5 trillion in total economic activity and more than $321 billion in federal, state and local taxes.
The navigation industry on the Mississippi River Ship Channel, our nation’s most prolific artery of trade, has been hampered by inadequate adjustment in federal funding to properly respond to increased precipitation levels. The increased precipitation levels include new historic record levels of precipitation across the majority of the country east of the Rocky Mountains according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologists around the world predict precipitation levels will continue to increase for at least the next five years, with more frequent and robust rain events expected to increase the occurrence of flood events.
The Full Funding Floats All Boats Campaign was created by the Big River Coalition to enhance the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley New Orleans (MVN) ability to maintain Congressionally authorized channel dimension on the Mississippi River Ship Channel (MRSC). The annual funding provided to the MVN for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of the MRSC is insufficient and the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2020 of $91,970,000 will again be inadequate to maintain authorized dimensions on the Ship Channel. The Big River Coalition requests the President’s Budget Request be increased to a level of $200,000,000 annually in an effort to promote trade, create jobs and enhance economic prosperity. Complete details on the Full Funding Floats All Boats campaign are enclosed.
The challenge for the Ship Channel is not just increased river currents generated by the high water, but also by increased shoaling created by sediments trapped in the channel and the need to dredge the deficient channel. Navigation channels are a critical piece of our maritime infrastructure and the Mississippi River and Tributaries drains 31 states and connects 21 mainline states to international commerce. Please add Full Funding to maintain our nation’s navigation channels to your bipartisan effort to modernize the infrastructure of the United States. The following quote is reproduced from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Mississippi River Commission:
“A multigenerational commitment to invest in our water commerce infrastructure transformed the great nation from a largely agrarian nation to the world’s preeminent economic power.”
The Big River Coalition requests that navigation channels be included in efforts to modernize our nation’s infrastructure. The Mississippi River system is changing and becoming harder to manage due to more frequent highwater events and the associated impacts of inadequate funding. Adaptive financial commitments are needed to modernize our fluid infrastructure. One metric that helps highlight this fact is that for the first time ever the Bonnet Carré Spillway has been operated twice in one year (2019) and also in back-to-back years (2018, 2019).
The Coalition has been working to formulate this campaign for the last several months, while also responding to high river challenges with recurring long-term draft restrictions and requests for supplemental funding. As the Coalition worked to develop this request the MVN received supplemental funding that eventually raised the total for Fiscal Year 2019 to a new record level of funding at $244,403,976.
The $200,000,000 request indicates that level of funding would be in line with normal channel maintenance and would not establish a ceiling if future record flooding events were to continue. The increased level of funding available at the start of the Fiscal Year would help fund preventive measures to allow the Corps to begin channel maintenance before sediment clogs the channel (artery of trade).
The Big River Coalition remains grateful for your leadership and efforts to promote our nation’s economic prowess by investing in our maritime infrastructure after decades of neglect. The maritime industry desperately needs increased investment to promote business initiatives to modernize our nation’s water commerce infrastructure and develop adaptive measures to acclimate cities along the Mississippi River to flourish in periods of increased precipitation.
FULL FUNDING FLOATS ALL BOATS CAMPAIGN
FULL FUNDING FLOATS ALL BOATS CAMPAIGN 91219.pdf
The Full Funding Floats All Boats Campaign was created by the Big River Coalition to enhance the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley New Orleans (MVN) ability to maintain Congressionally authorized channel dimension on the Mississippi River Ship Channel (MRSC). The annual funding provided to the MVN for Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of the MRSC is insufficient and the President’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2020 of $91,970,000 will again be inadequate to maintain authorized dimensions on the Ship Channel. The Big River Coalition requests the President’s Budget Request be increased to a level of $200,000,000 annually in an effort to promote trade, create jobs and enhance economic prosperity.
“Full Funding Floats All Boats” was designed to increase the MVN’s ability to maintain authorized channel dimensions of the MRSC. The Big River Coalition estimates that $200 million in annual funding would enhance the MVN’s ability to restore and maintain Congressionally authorized channel dimensions:
A) SOUTHWEST PASS: Specifically, from the Venice Jump (Mile 11 Above Head of Passes – AHP) to the end of Southwest Pass (Mile 22 Below Head of Passes – BHP) at the Gulf of Mexico.
The MVN would be able to start each fiscal year (October) with two industry cutterhead dredges contracted in Southwest Pass to perform advanced channel maintenance before high river conditions and increased shoaling typically begin. The proposed level of funding is also sufficient to provide for approximately 6 industry hopper dredges (10-year average need) and the Ready Reserve Days on the Corps’ hopper dredge WHEELER to work throughout high water periods.
Southwest Pass is the top priority as the entrance and/or exit to the Mississippi River Ship Channel the nation’s most prolific waterway – “the revolving door to international trade.”
B) CROSSINGS ABOVE NEW ORLEANS: Specifically, from Baton Rouge (Mile 234 AHP) to New Orleans (Mile 115 AHP)
Fund all three dustpan dredges for up to five months with the option to also utilize a hopper dredge(s) from Southwest Pass.
C) NEW ORLEANS HARBOR:
Fund a cutterhead dredge to maintain the channel approaches to the Julia Street Cruise Terminal and City Front Wharves within the Port of New Orleans Harbor.
D) HOPPER DREDGE DISPOSAL AREA (HDDA):
The HDDA is a critical channel maintenance project feature located at the Head of Passes where sediment removed from the Ship Channel by hopper dredges is placed. The Full Funding would be adequate for a cutterhead dredge to dredge out the disposal area at the HDDA. All material removed from the HDDA is beneficially used and each dredge contract creates 400 or more acres of wetlands in the environmentally sensitive birds’-foot delta.
E) FORESHORE ROCK and WINGDAM REPAIRS:
Provide funding to the MVN to perform maintenance to the water infrastructure features along the banks of Southwest Pass which are designed to protect the channel and reduce dredging costs. The repair of these maritime project features would occur in years requiring less dredges, such as in years without significant periods of elevated river stages.
The Mississippi River and Tributaries is undergoing changes related to more frequent highwater events caused by increased precipitation levels and the impacts of inadequate funding. Adaptive financial commitments are needed to modernize our fluid infrastructure. One metric that helps highlight this fact is that for the first time ever the Bonnet Carré Spillway has been operated twice in one year and also in back-to-back years (2018, 2019). The operation of the Bonnet Carré Spillway has now been required four times in the last four years (2016, 2018 and twice in 2019). The second opening in 2019 is the longest single opening in the history of this flood control structure (79 days of operation).
The MVN has been unable to maintain federally authorized channel dimensions on the Mississippi River Ship Channel and draft restrictions have been required every year since 2011 but 2013 and 2014. The Ship Channel was at reduced dimensions from January 31 to August 16 in 2019, during the most severe shoaling the controlling draft was 40 feet a loss of five feet. The federally authorized channel dimensions are a depth of 45 feet and width of 750 feet.
Shippers engaged in international trade are forced to move less cargo per ship by reducing vessel loading drafts to accommodate deficient channel dimensions. Light loading increases waterborne transportation costs impacting their economic competitiveness in world markets.
The “Full Funding Float All Boats Campaign” must be a multi-generational commitment to invest in the nation’s water commerce infrastructure such as was completed by our national leaders after the Great Depression. There is no doubt the Mississippi River is changing, and our leadership must commit to remove the obstacles created by inadequate funding. Inadequate funding creates inadequate channels and directly impacts our ability to compete as a world economic power.
