Tom Harkin: “the Missouri River is a tremendous resource for the Midwest. It is used for recreation and for transportation. It…”

“the Missouri River is a tremendous resource for the Midwest. It is used for recreation and for transportation. It supplies water for drinking, for irrigation, to cool power plants, and it can, at times provide far too much water resulting in flooding, hurting many farmers and sometimes communities as a whole. It is also the home for a wide variety of wildlife, providing excellent hunting and fishing opportunities. It has many beautiful views to be enjoyed by all. And it is the habitat for a number of species that, unfortunately, appear to be in very serious difficulty, endangered. I believe we have a responsibility to protect endangered and threatened species, and I take that responsibility very seriously. And, I take the needs of my constituents to minimize flooding, to maximize the benefits of barge traffic and to use the areas along the river for good hunting and fishing very seriously as well. The Corps of Engineers which manages the large dams on the river is charged with a number of legislative purposes such as navigation, flood control, recreation and environmental remediation and enhancement. And, many of those responsibilities are in regular conflict.”