Gilbert Gutknecht: “as a co-chair of the Upper Mississippi River Task Force, I am proud that the House is considering the Upper Mississippi…”

“as a co-chair of the Upper Mississippi River Task Force, I am proud that the House is considering the Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection Act today. This bill is good for farmers, and it is good for the environment. Every year, farmers collectively lose more than $300 million in applied nitrogen due to erosion. Not only does this hurt the Mississippi River ecosystem--it hurts farmers' checkbooks. Soil erosion also causes sedimentation problems on the river. Dredging costs due to increased sedimentation run over $100 million each year, and removing the sediment is integral to keeping the river a viable transportation mechanism. Sediments also fill critical wetland areas in the Mississippi River basin, threatening the plants and wildlife. Currently there is insufficient data on the amounts and sources of sediments and nutrients in the upper Mississippi River basin. Local, state, and federal water quality monitoring and modeling efforts are not coordinated or standardized. This legislation will develop a coordinated public-private approach to reducing nutrient and sediment losses in the upper Mississippi River basin, and will establish a water quality monitoring network and an integral computer modeling program. This bill will provide the baseline data needed to make scientifically sound and cost-effective decisions that will benefit all who depend on the health of the upper Mississippi River basin for transportation, recreation, or whatever their needs may be.”