The Corp. [sic] held back water while entire towns were being destroyed downstream on the Mississippi, and it would have been much worse if not for their actions. No one could have predicted the immense amount of moisture that recently fell in MT, and thats [sic] what has lead [sic] to the flooding in S.D.Indy seems to forget that the Corps saw this Spring coming long before flooding began in the lower Mississippi.
If Republican South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint is calling something "reform," expect the worst. His bill, S.573: Corps of Engineers Reform Act of 2011 seeks to:
establish a harbor maintenance block grant program to provide maximum flexibility to each State to carry out harbor maintenance and deepening projects in the State, to require transparency for water resources development projects carried out by the Corps of Engineers, and for other purposes.What "other purposes," TeaKocher? Maybe yer jus' askeerd that an African-American is coming before the Senate for confirmation. From the New Orleans Times-Picayune:
President Barack Obama Tuesday nominated Army Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick to be chief of engineers/commanding general for the Army Corps of Engineers. Bostick's appointment, assuming the Senate confirms him, would make him a key figure in southeast Louisiana because the Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of completing promised 100-year protection for the New Orleans area. The effort comes after the Corps was criticized for faulty levee designs blamed for the extensive flooding that devastated so many communities after Hurricane Katrina struck the region in 2005.California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer seems to want the federal government to wield its expertise to restore wetlands destroyed by lack of oversight during the Bush years. From LexisNexis:
Federal support is critical for the project to move to completion and reduce flood risk for Sacramento residents. The Corps also maintains harbors, such as Oakland and Long Beach, which facilitate the flow of much of our nation's commerce. And many of the nation's most ambitious efforts to restore degraded ecosystems, such as the Everglades and the coast of Louisiana, are led by the Corps. I expect the Corps will play an important role as efforts continue to restore the California Bay-Delta.So, to Hell with fixing Pick-Sloan, right, senators?
Cory at Madville Times read Tom Lawrence's piece, too. ip should confess to being wrong a bazillion times more often than being right.
The Rapid City Journal seems to keeping up with the story (actually, ip tipped them off at above Blogmore post):
Parts of the river between Fort Peck, Montana and Sioux City, Iowa are designated as critical habitat for the piping plover and interior least tern. Both species build nests on sandbars and sandy shoreline. The corps is required to create sandbars and nesting habitat for the birds because it no longer is created naturally.No shit.
I love it when readers agree with ip. Survey sez: Israel should be moved to Utah!
They tried something similar the block grant program in the late 1880s. It did not work because if the cost of the project was larger than the grant cities, counties, states could not afford to build the protection. We moved away from that especially after the 1927 flood on the Mississippi. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteCool site. The point I made on Mt. Bogmore is the Corp. has been forced to cut off a finger (S.D.) to save a hand (downstream communities) People being people, some in S.D. would rather see much more damage down-stream than experience any themselves. As you can't say on Mt. Bogmore, "shit happens," Stop looking for someone to blame, flooding is sometimes inevitable especially, when you live in a flood plain.
ReplyDeleteMother nature ALWAYS wins
ReplyDeleteIndy! Except that it's not just South Dakota. All the states in the system are getting schmoinked because the political will hates change even though that's what sells in the election cycle.
ReplyDeleteWe're a litigious society: heads will roll.
Thanks for coming by.
I to feel you need to relax, quit trying to cast the blame, It,s Mom's way of flushing the system. That's what 100 and 500 year flood plains are all about. And yes, it's possible to have 500 year floods back to back. "The solution to much polution is dilution" kw
ReplyDeleteI just want the dams to go away to rewild the entire Missouri/Mississippi corridor, restore the bison habitat, and build migration routes that connect with the prosposed Yellowstone to Yukon preserve. Migration should be celebrated, not outlawed.
ReplyDeleteHey Zeus! That's what this blog is about.
You could possible start with rewilding your yard, plant natives that produce food for both people and wildlife. This also provides habitat. Then you could do some solar and maybe a rain catchment system. It is rather easy and very addicting. You soon feel a great sense of well being doing this type of work. The more you do, the more you want to do.(Does that make sense) Remember Subsistence is resistance!
ReplyDeleteYou have to start with what is within your control.
ReplyDelete