Dusty Johnson: “the management of the Missouri River has been an ongoing source of conflict between interest groups of States both…”

“the management of the Missouri River has been an ongoing source of conflict between interest groups of States both upstream and downstream for many years. The current Master Manual for the Missouri River was written in 1970 with only minor revisions taking place in 1975 and 1979. While almost everyone agrees that the revision of the outdated Master Manual is long overdue, differences of opinion continue to exist about what changes to the operating plan should be included in the revised Master Manual. Downstream States contend that more water needs to be released from upstream reservoirs to ensure that navigation interests are served on a regular basis, while South Dakota and other upstream States press for dependable water levels to support fish and wildlife management and the recreation/tourism industry. I rise today in opposition to Representative Bereuter's amendment. The amendment essentially ensures that the so-called ``spring rise'' proposed by the Corps in the first revision of the Master Manual is never implemented. While I do not necessarily oppose the intent of the amendment because I am not a strong advocate of a so-called ``spring rise,'' I strongly object to the amendment because it circumvents the Master Manual revision process that all interested parties have been actively engaged in for several years.”