Possible Mississippi River Shutdown Threatens Thousands of Jobs

KMOX-AM ^ | November 30, 2012 | Justin Wingerter

[2ndDivisionVet]

It’s an issue that has plagued states along the Mississippi River for months and has now landed squarely on the desk of President Obama: how to prevent the imminent shutdown of commercial traffic along the nation’s largest waterway.

A nationwide drought, the worst to hit the U.S. in decades, has lowered water levels along the river, threatening barge traffic.

White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Thursday that the President raised the issue with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, directing his administration to take “every step to mitigate” the situation. Carney added that there are a number of “complex” legal and technical steps which can be pursued, saying the Army Corps of Engineers has taken “proactive” measures.

The biggest obstacle is jagged rocks jutting up from the bottom of the Mississippi which make it impossible for barges to move.

“The Corps needs to get in there and literally blow them up to get them out of the way or we will be either extremely limited or completely shut down some time between December 15 and December 30,” Senior Vice President of Regional Advocacy for the American Waterways Operators Lynn Muench said. “If we do lose the river between mid-December and January, the jobs that are at risk in Missouri are almost 3,000 jobs.”

Muench said she’s reached out to President Obama and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, mirroring an effort Thursday by Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster...

[GeronL]

whoa

[BwanaNdege]

Perhaps when Obama stopped the rise of the oceans he should have left the Mississippi alone....;-)

[bgill]

A fathom off mark twain. Bush’s fault.

[cripplecreek]

The Corps of engineers handles waterborne trade routes.

[Las Vegas Ron]

I thought for sure this was going to be another union goons on strike story.

[RightGeek]

The EPA will find some rare and endangered slug in the area and forbid any blasting ... after a 5 year study

[RetiredTexasVet]

directing his administration to take “every step to mitigate” the situation. Carney added that there are a number of “complex” legal and technical steps which can be pursued, saying the Army Corps of Engineers has taken “proactive” measures.

FEMA suggestion: ship some of the left over water from the SuperDuper Once-in-Eon Storm Sandy to the Mississippi. Probably a big hose could handle it.

[willyd]

Obama directed them to take every appropriate measure and to strictly avoid any measures that might lead to a mistake.

He might have even thrown in a “report back to me” somewhere for good measure.

That is leadership folks.

[HiTech RedNeck]

So how does one go about dynamiting these rocks without creating the river equivalent of tsunamis?

[RetiredTexasVet]

find some rare and endangered slug in the area

Probably in a local office .... a supervisor!

[GeronL]

lol.

[Chickensoup]

Do I recall incorrectly or were there dams in place that the current administation demanded to be kept open last year? Or was that on the Missori?

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Lower the sea levels, raise the river levels, what’s a Marxist manchild to do?

[technically right]

Really. Well, send in then Corpsemen

[umgud]

“The Corps needs to get in there and literally blow them up to get them out of the way or we will be either extremely limited or completely shut down some time between December 15 and December 30,”

One thing the Corp is not capable of doing is moving fast.

[Vince Ferrer]

Union jobs vs. wetlands. Hmm, I’ll just vote “present.”

[blueunicorn6]

Low-Flow Toilets. Bring back the old porcelain kings, and you could float an aircraft carrier.

[familyop]

There are only tiny streaks of snow on the peaks of the east side of the Continental Divide here for now (central Rockies). The peaks are mostly bare. The drought is covering a much larger geographical area than the drought of the Dust Bowl era. Drought Forecast from the NOAA site (weather.gov):

[HiTech RedNeck]

Globull warming doctrine manages to have it both ways. Droughts on the interior, and too much ocean. As if those were the only possibilities for water liberated from land ice in temperate climes to go.

As a “denier” I played around with the mind of a “believer” on Facebook the other day. I said when they were growing grapes in Greenland during the Medieval Warm Period, where were all the complaints about swamped shoreline cities? For that matter, where are all the American Indian legends about deserts that grew then receded, that ought to have followed?

[GeronL]

Of course, if you had to study and plan something like that, it is not going to be fast

[HiTech RedNeck]

I am pro-choice on light bulbs and commodes.

[ProudFossil]

That is leadership folks.

Obama is no leader, he is the Messiah!!!

[Gene Eric]

And the admin’s response will be: find an environmental reason for not dredge-blasting so we can attach more citizens to the taxpayers’ teat.

[Vince Ferrer]

We could release water from the dams in the Missippi basin. Oh, wait, we have removed 888 of them in the US:

2010 Dam Removals

[DesertRhino]

They keep the dams on the Missouri closed and filled. That way when the spring snowmelt hits, it can flood that part of the midwest.

[familyop]

Currently, from...
http://www.drought.gov/drought/content/products-current-drought-and-monitoring-drought-indicators/us-drought-monitor

[umgud]

Of course, if you had to study and plan something like that, it is not going to be fast

Point well taken, but I've worked with the Corp over 30 years and I'm not impressed.

[GeronL]

true.

It’s a big job sounds like, but I guess the private sector could be contracted to do it faster

[Popman]

Thursday that the President raised the issue with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting,

Wait'... Obama had a Cabinet Meeting ???

Stop the presses....

[ex91B10]

"directing his administration to take “every step to mitigate” the situation."

Unless it kills a fish or something.

Impeach the kenyan or secession.

[Cheerio]

Obama directed them to take every appropriate measure and to strictly avoid any measures that might lead to a mistake. He might have even thrown in a “report back to me” somewhere for good measure. That is leadership folks.

[oldenuff2no]

I bet all those union folks are going to be protesting Mother Nature now.....

[Carry_Okie]

They have the Central Coast of California in a state of “moderate drought.” I say bull-crap. Last year was dry, but the two years before were abnormally wet. It has been the wettest fall here in as far back as my records go. Hence, I’d like to know how they calculate “drought.”

[BlueMoose]

Watch out for the false prophecies.

[BlueMoose]

Watch out for the false prophecies.

[calex59]

Being a fellow resident of CA, I agree with you and I have noticed that every time we are at normal, or slightly below normal rainfall, the CA politicians scream drought and try to tax the hell out of us plus they like the control they have over people by telling them to buy low flush toilets, slow leak shower heads and the like. We are not in a drought in CA and haven’t been since the one back in the 80s.

[cripplecreek]

We could release water from the dams in the Missippi basin. Oh, wait, we have removed 888 of them in the US.

Doing a bang up job of it too. In this case a private investor offered to spend the money to restore generating capacity and they refused him.

Dam Removal Mishap Raises More Questions, Concerns

[Carry_Okie]

I have noticed that every time we are at normal, or slightly below normal rainfall, the CA politicians scream drought and try to tax the hell out of us plus they like the control they have over people by telling them to buy low flush toilets, slow leak shower heads and the like.

The goal is to create a usable supply for more development. The projections are for a California population of over 50 million.

[ducttape45]

2nd Chronicles 7:13-14, "If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Pay close attention to the first part of the scripture, not so much the second part. Anyone care to take a guess at how many of those 3 conditions haven't been met yet?

This is proper teaching of the scriptures. There was a reason for why Solomon was given what is contained in verse 14; it's because of what's in verse 13!

It's too bad you'll never see the entire passage laid out before this disbelieving nation, a finger pointed at them and the accusation leveled. No one on a national stage has the courage.

[Wuli]

most likely whatever they to make Mississippi River transport better for the moment will have unintended consequences somewhere, sometime down the road when “normal” water levels and the usual flooding returns

[Western Phil]

Corps of Engineers fast?

A little known fact: Within six months of Hurricane Katrina, George Bush and the Corps had in place flood gates and bypass pumps at the lake end of the New Orleans outflow canals. These “temporary” structures, if operational at the time of Katrina, would have prevented the flooding of those portions of New Orleans flooded from the breaching of the outflow canal walls. The apparent cost of each structure was well within what could have been covered by any of the areas’ political jurisdictions. The political will to do what was necessary did not exist until the hard hearted “W” gave the thankless city this freebie.

[Noob1999]

What is the muslim Kenyan equivalent to the North American Indian rain dance??

Time to get Zer0 and the Mooch, along with momma Robinson and the two spawns out on a barge, and do their costumed rain chant.

All will be better once the Won solves all our problems.

[DTogo]

...the President raised the issue with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, directing his administration to take “every step to mitigate” the situation.

Similar to the hollow statement Obama made Nov 14th on Benghazi, "I can tell you that, immediately after finding out that our folks are in danger, that my orders to my security team was to do whatever we need to do to keep our people safe."

[Nitehawk0325]

This BS story comes with perfect timimg for Zero to sign the UN resolution for limit everything but the increase of taxes. The Kenyan socialist needs to be impeached. The murders of four patriots in Bengazi, a border patrol agent and hundreds of Mexicans (Fast and the Furious) is far more reasons than we need to impeach and imprison this criminal. Just me stating this is enough reason for Obama’s regime to have me thrown into prison for hurting Obama’s feelings.

[Nitehawk0325]

This BS story comes with perfect timimg for Zero to sign the UN resolution for limit everything but the increase of taxes. The Kenyan socialist needs to be impeached. The murders of four patriots in Bengazi, a border patrol agent and hundreds of Mexicans (Fast and the Furious) is far more reasons than we need to impeach and imprison this criminal. Just me stating this is enough reason for Obama’s regime to have me thrown into prison for hurting Obama’s feelings.

[Nitehawk0325]

This BS story comes with perfect timimg for Zero to sign the UN resolution for limit everything but the increase of taxes. The Kenyan socialist needs to be impeached. The murders of four patriots in Bengazi, a border patrol agent and hundreds of Mexicans (Fast and the Furious) is far more reasons than we need to impeach and imprison this criminal. Just me stating this is enough reason for Obama’s regime to have me thrown into prison for hurting Obama’s feelings.

[Nitehawk0325]

This BS story comes with perfect timing for Zero to sign the UN resolution for limit everything but the increase of taxes. The Kenyan socialist needs to be impeached. The murders of four patriots in Benghazi, a border patrol agent and hundreds of Mexicans (Fast and the Furious) is far more reasons than we need to impeach and imprison this criminal. Just me stating this is enough reason for Obama’s regime to have me thrown into prison for hurting Obama’s feelings.

[calex59]

Sorry, but the goal is to gain control over the masses, this is just one more way for the liberals to pass onerous laws that force us to choose between common sense and being a criminal. It is easy to solve the water problem in CA, that way is desalinization plants built off the coast. We have more water than we could ever use on this planet, why aren't we doing every thing we can to use it?

One reason(the main reason): Liberals throwing up environmental issues to stop any such projects before they get off the ground. If they were truly interested in our water supply, and our energy supply as well, then they wouldn't stop desalinization plants and they wouldn't stop drilling.

[Gil4]

“Just one very somple question”

And now we know the answer, unfortunately.