Emerson: Supplemental Funds Could Help SEMO Port Dredging – July 27, 2010
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) said that a million dollars of additional funds for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could be used to address urgent Mississippi River dredging at SEMO Port in Scott City, a major outlet for Missouri agricultural and manufacturing products.“The port is crucial to the economy and commerce of the entire region,” Emerson said. “Dredging the port is an annual point of concern for the businesses that use the river to move their products, and this funding makes it possible for the Corps to provide the dredging to guarantee access to the port this fall.”
With passage of the additional funds for the Corps, Emerson sent a letter to Assistant Secretary Jo-Ellen Darcy asking for the Corps’ attention to unmet dredging needs in light of the bill’s passage. The text of Emerson’s letter follows:
Dear Assistant Secretary Darcy,
Today, the United States House of Representative passed the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010, which contains funding for dredging, and rehabilitation and repair damage caused by natural disasters. The President’s signature on this legislation is expected soon. I would like to raise your awareness to the plight of the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority (SEMO Port) and the dire need for dredging and harbor maintenance as a direct result of the spring floods along the Mississippi River.
The SEMO Port of Scott City, Missouri is an essential terminal of commerce for the Eighth Congressional District of Missouri, and should it become inaccessible, it would be to the detriment of thousands of residents and businesses. The port is a slack-water port that has suffered a significant level of sediment deposits caused by the spring flooding. These unusually high levels of sediment deposits within SEMO Port’s slack-water harbor pose a threat to port operations when the Mississippi River is at low-water levels that usually occur during the late summer and early fall.
Dredging of the SEMO Port must occur, otherwise businesses and farms will not have access to the Mississippi River to send and receive commodities, fertilizer, and other necessary goods. Officials with the St. Louis District of the Corps of Engineers have estimated the total cost of dredging the harbor at $360,000. In light of the availability of additional funds for dredging, I would request you make the SEMO Port a priority as you are implementing the Supplemental Appropriations Act. Time is of the essence, as the window of opportunity to dredge the harbor is rapidly closing.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Frank Miller in my Washington, DC office at (202) 225-4404.
Kind Regards,
JO ANN EMERSON
Member of Congress
Today, the United States House of Representative passed the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010, which contains funding for dredging, and rehabilitation and repair damage caused by natural disasters. The President’s signature on this legislation is expected soon. I would like to raise your awareness to the plight of the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority (SEMO Port) and the dire need for dredging and harbor maintenance as a direct result of the spring floods along the Mississippi River.
The SEMO Port of Scott City, Missouri is an essential terminal of commerce for the Eighth Congressional District of Missouri, and should it become inaccessible, it would be to the detriment of thousands of residents and businesses. The port is a slack-water port that has suffered a significant level of sediment deposits caused by the spring flooding. These unusually high levels of sediment deposits within SEMO Port’s slack-water harbor pose a threat to port operations when the Mississippi River is at low-water levels that usually occur during the late summer and early fall.
Dredging of the SEMO Port must occur, otherwise businesses and farms will not have access to the Mississippi River to send and receive commodities, fertilizer, and other necessary goods. Officials with the St. Louis District of the Corps of Engineers have estimated the total cost of dredging the harbor at $360,000. In light of the availability of additional funds for dredging, I would request you make the SEMO Port a priority as you are implementing the Supplemental Appropriations Act. Time is of the essence, as the window of opportunity to dredge the harbor is rapidly closing.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Frank Miller in my Washington, DC office at (202) 225-4404.
Kind Regards,
JO ANN EMERSON
Member of Congress
