Doug Bereuter: “this common sense amendment is needed to ensure that the Corps of Engineers does not repeat its previous mistake, a…”

“this common sense amendment is needed to ensure that the Corps of Engineers does not repeat its previous mistake, a proposal which would have devastated farms, businesses, landowners and countless communities along the Missouri River. In 1994, the Corps issued its proposed changes to the Master Manual and made a colossal blunder by proposing to drastically increase the flow and water level of the Missouri River during the months of April, May and June. These, obviously, are the very months when States such as Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri, especially in the area south of Plattsmouth, NE, are already most vulnerable to flooding due to snow melt and heavy rainfall in the internal watersheds that drain into the Missouri River. It is bad enough that farmers and other landowners along the river have to contend with natural disasters, they should not be forced to deal with the kind of man-made disasters that would have been caused by the Corps' proposal. The floods and heavy spring rains of recent years offer clear and convincing proof that the proposal was seriously flawed.”