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October 2, 2006 -- Vol. 6 Issue 33 Written by Jack R. Simpson (unless otherwise noted), owner of J.R. Simpson & Associates, Inc. and contributing editor to The Waterways Journal.
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 In This Newsletter:
Thought For The Week
It is sometimes said that nothing of consequence happens in a hurry. That’s something like: It takes a long time to make a good stew. But I don’t believe that. Read the following editorial comments and see why. 
Editorial Comment From Jack
 Once again consideration of the Water Resources Development Act has been put off — this time until after the congressional recess and the November election. There is always some excuse. Nevertheless, industry leaders believe there is hope that legislation without serious overhaul of the operating practices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can take place.
As Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond explained at the end of September, Congress ran out of time to work on the measure. Passage would represent the first time a WRDA has been passed since 2000. Brent Martin, in the MissouriNet, said that “arguments about how best to use the Mississippi River have become increasingly contentious in Washington - so contentious that talks have broken down on a bill that includes nearly $4 billion to build locks on the Mississippi River, as well as the Illinois River. And the issue has been put on the shelf until after the elections.” On the other hand, the National Waterways Conference reports that rather than try to rush through WRDA and have bad amendments included, it was decided to meet after the election. Critics of the measure select their targets carefully. Much of the environmental movement is against the portion of the legislation that includes $3.8 billion for new locks at damns on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. That portion would utilize $2 billion, while environmental improvements along the rivers would consume $1.65 billion. Years ago, sometime during the long, continued expansion of the environmental movement, it was shocking to us to see that up to 30 percent of all project funds were going for environmental projects. Most will remember that the Corps faced continuing mitigation suits that stripped away funds to buy property for environmental use elsewhere. If one considers that the purpose was to maintain and not lose ground environmentally, the procedure makes sense. If a river project wiped out some mussel beds, mussels were either moved, or another section along the river was designated for environmental use. At least it works something like that. In the 1970s a firm called Hutson Chemicals wanted to build a terminal on Kentucky Lake. Unwilling to put up with what they believed to be outrageous environmental demands, they killed the project at the planned site and built a terminal elsewhere. Getting back to the $3.8 billion for the Upper Mississippi and Illinois river projects, the $1.65 billion for environmental work represents about 43 percent of the project money, provided our calculations are accurate. We’re told that is why some of the big environmental groups, like American Rivers for instance, have quit griping about the project. They know that the amount of money designated for environmental improvements is very high and they are not likely to get more. Considering that we did a great deal of damage to rivers before we got our head on straight about protecting the environment, it is safe to say that there is catch-up to be done and that spending larger amounts is necessary. That being the case, however, the environmental “biggies” should be more willing to work with the Corps than against it. This nation IS spending billions for environmental improvements. Whether it is enough may be argued, but it is a vast improvement over years when all major cities along the Upper Mississippi dumped their raw sewage directly into the river and the Upper was clogged with great depths of sawdust from lumber mills that processed lumber taken from the great northern forests of the day. The opposition to WRDA also comes from people who want the Corps more closely monitored, totally reformed in fact. The bottom line is that there are those who want total control of what projects the Corps will and will not do. At present, Congress makes the decisions based upon extensive evaluations by the Corps. These people want to hamstring the Corps by establishing a committee - another committee of all things - that would be stacked against the Corps and allow opponents to half projects at the drop of the hat. The WRDA, by the way, contains a great deal of money (besides the $3.8 billion) for a lot of projects nationwide, but the money must be appropriated. It is not automatic. So another argument of some is that the price of the WRDA is too high. That is sheer baloney. I will not go into detail here, but the reason the price is high is that river maintenance and construction has been neglected for so long that the backlog is humongous. I have tackled that subject in the editorial in today’s “Waterways Journal.” My only hope is that those of you who are for the WRDA without amendments that will hobble the Corps should make sure your congressional delegates in Washington know you are for it and why.
For Those Inclined To Pray
 For those desiring prayer support for themselves or others, we invite you to join our Prayer Circle, which allows you to submit requests, thereby tapping into prayerful support of our 40 Circle members. There is power in prayer. Membership in the Circle and/or the submission of prayer requests is open to anyone and freë. Request lists are sent out via email, generally, on the day they are received. Come join us!
Newsletter News
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$elf-Publish for Profit
 “$elf-Publish for Profit” (by avoiding booby traps) has been released and is now available at www.littleriverbooks.com. We invite writers club members to contact us at jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com to learn about special discount prices for clubs purchasing the book in quantity.)
On The Waterfront
Landmark Locks & Ecosystem Restoration Legislation Will Have to Wait for Congress to Return Time Runs Out for Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) But Hopes High for November Conference Report As Members of Congress returned home Monday, some to prepare for re-election, water advocates remain optimistic that the provisions separating the House and Senate versions can be resolved during next month’s crucial but brief legislative window. Conference committee members met last week after staff worked for the past two weeks to resolve differences between the bills, in hopes of creating a single WRDA conference report to send to President Bush. This would be the first WRDA bill since 2000. The legislation has been awaiting conference committee since passage of the Senate version on July 19. WRDA includes $3 billion dollar authorization for two key provisions construction of seven 1,200-foot lock chambers at key sites, as well as unprecedented system-wide ecosystem restoration measures. Hopes for WRDA are still very much alive, with an opportunity for conference to reconvene after the November 7 elections. Conferees for the Senate were announced Tuesday, September 19 following the announcement of House conferees on Thursday, September 14. With an uncertain future due to a shrinking legislative calendar, river stakeholders are hopeful WRDA negotiations can resume when Congress returns to Washington, DC. Upon assignment, members of the conference committee from both House and Senate were immediately contacted by a grassroots campaign to provide traction to the effort for a conference report prior to recess. Members of the diverse coalition of agriculture, manufacturing, organized labor unions, economic development, transportation, shipping, recreation and environmental advocates, among others included in the Midwest Area River Coalition (MARC 2000) have been busy contacting legislators, urging action. The locks provision sailed through the Senate without challenge during floor debate in July, in part due to the 315-105 defeat of an amendment challenging the locks in the House companion bill last summer.  “Our coalition will continue to urge both chambers, both parties, to come together and resolve the differences in WRDA even during this in-district period,” stated Paul C. Rohde, President of MARC 2000. “Our region has too much at stake to quit now.”
“Reliable and efficient river locks will benefit both the consuming public and the producers of agricultural and manufactured commodities,” Rohde continued. “For too long, the ‘Third Coast’, our Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, have been operating under deteriorating conditions and undersized capacity. This legislation is a crucial first step for the important role our region can play in addressing the nation’s inter-modal transportation challenges.” WRDA authorizes the initial 15-year phase of a landmark 50-year river approach, including $1.8 billion dollars for new 1,200-foot locks. Half of the amount will be funded through the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF), a national fuel tax depository. Non-structural and smaller-scale measures total $246 million dollars, also paid in part through the trust fund. $1.65 billion dollars of ecosystem restoration is also authorized through WRDA, addressing over 105,000 acres of habitat, impacting 35,000 floodplain acres during the initial 15-year phase. Federal spending will be supplemented by state dollars.
Researchers Look For Ways To Get People To Eat Carp The Asian Carp, bighead and silver, that arrived in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in the 1970s have been a headache in more ways than one. They drive other fish from the rivers and actually injure boaters in their leaps from the river. Enterprising businessmen are now processing the carp into cakes that can be used to feed zoo animals at a cost much less than they now pay. Efforts are also underway to make carp inviting to humans. Carp are eaten in Asia. Much carp has been consumed over the years in the U.S. as well, though little is made of it. Those who promote the human consumption of carp say it is good food. Therein may lie the secret to reducing the number of bothersome carp in the rivers. Make it inviting and desirable. If a dollar can be turned, people will get involved, and the supply will ultimately be reduced. Now if we can just find a valuable use for zebra mussels.
Speaking of Security When we reported last week that Congress was nearing a deal on the Port Security Bill, we had not learned that Congress had removed from the bill a measure that would keep felons out of U.S. Ports. The “Wall Street Journal’s” WSJ.com and its Opinion Journal reports that the measure would have barred serious felons from working in sensitive dock security jobs. The publication said that “Just last year the Justice Department filed a RICO suit charging that the 65,000-member East Coast-based International Longshoremen’s Association is a ‘vehicle for organized crime.’” One port official said that by law his port is barred from doing background checks on employees who work at the Charleston, S.C., port. This leaves a gaping hole in security, he said. According to the Opinion Journal, the Department of Homeland Security investigated the ports of New York and New Jersey and found that of 9,000 truckers checked, nearly half had criminal records. They included murderers, drug dealers, arsonists, and members of the deadly MS-13 gang. The bottom line is that such a “political deal” was made possible due to the clout of the unions.
Port Safety Conference Report Available According to the American Association of Port Authorities: …the SAFE Port Act of 2006 conference report is now available at: http://www.aapa-ports.org/files/PDFs/HR4954%5Fconferencereport%5F09%2D29%2D06.pdf On September AAPA applauded Congress for passing the bill, but surprising in this B&B corner at least, was the fact that nothing was said about killing the measure that would have kept felons and other convicted criminals from working in critical port positions. The bill, H.R. 4954, calls for $400 million in federal Port Security Grant (PSG) funding for each of the next five years to help increase security in the maritime transportation system.
Crossing The Bar
Robert Miller, former curator of the Geo. M. Verity river museum at Keokuk, Iowa, died October 2 after having been admitted recently to a hospital for a broken hip. For years he wrote a weekly “Keokuk News” column for “The Waterways Journal.” In recent years, as attested to by his son John in a personal note in this letter, Mr. Miller had suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was a true friend of the river and over the years taught his family to be the same. Over his lifetime he was active in river organizations. Alan Cheramie, born July 8, 1959, died September 26. A native and resident of Golden Meadow, La,. He was owner of AMC Lift Boats. Gordon Kilgore, who has had much to do with the founding and operation of the National River Museum at Dubuque, Iowa, has died. We have no additional details but will report additionally when we learn more.
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You can contact the editor dírectly at jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com.
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From Our Readers
Re: Robert Miller I received a call at 5:00 this morning (October 2) that my father had passed away. He had been in the hospital Thursday with a broken hip, but it was just too much for him, and with Alzheimer’s it was a blessing that the Good Lord called him home and he has now crossed over the river. Praise Be To God. I am thankful for having such a wonderful father who passed on his love of the river to me as well. Take care everyone. John Re: The New Orleans, first steamboat to move on the western rivers. It made a trip from Pittsburgh, Pa., to New Orleans, La., in October 1811. There seems to be disagreement over whether the New Orleans was a sternwheeler or a sidewheeler. And written history is also vague about what happened to the vessel after she completed that dangerous cruise. At least one book discusses the intent of Nicholas Roosevelt, one of the investors in the boat, to establish a regular run between New Orleans and Natchez, Miss. The same book shows a picture of a museum model of the vessel with sidewheels. There are oodles of books that focus on the New Orleans or, at least, contain information about it. Now if some of you history buffs will check your libraries, perhaps you can enlighten us about the two questions above. Just send your responses to B&B at jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com. Re: Towboat Interiors This is in response to Bob Lenn’s question about photos from the inside of a towboat. I have a few photos on my website (http://www.wvtowboats.com) showing a few of the interior spaces and features of a towboat. To find these photos, go to the alphabetical page on my website, and look up the Capt. John Reynolds, Fred Way, and Vernon C. Smith. Additional interior photos of a few other towboats will be posted on my website with the next update. C. R. Neale III (Editor’s note: I failed earlier to advise Bob that there are several pictures of towboat interiors in the books “Backing Hard Into River History” and “Between The Saints: Louis And Paul”, both listed on our web site.)
Boat Photo Center
 This week we have 11 new pictures posted in the Photo Center, including three different views of the Morris G. by Eric M. Johnson; three of the Elizabeth D by Brent Maletic, pictures of the D&R Boney and Queen City, Bruce-D, Capt. Bill Stewart and the Seamen’s Church Institute at Paducah, all by John Miller.
Note: When I choose to include three pictures of the same boat, all taken on the same day, I do so hoping that the views are different enough to justify using three. Occasionally, I have used views that are much alike and don’t provide any significant change from the others. Sometimes I just eliminate one of the views. Be prepared for both treatments. But if you take three views and one is not much different, select the two that are most different and send them. It would be helpful. Click here to see the latest pictures.
Recipe Box
Do you have a good recipe you’d like to share? Submit your recipes here!
The Book Beat
For those who might be new readers of B&B, I can do no better service for you than to remind you of several top-notch, non-fiction river histories that are also very enjoyable reading. All are available on our site. They include: River of Conflict, River of Dreams The Conquest of the Missouri Taming The Upper Mississippi And the three Schrader Missouri River books: Steamboat Legacy Steamboat Treasures Steamboat Kid
Get More Visitors To Your Web Site - Join The U.S. Inland Waterways Site Ring!
This is a web ring owned by Little River Books. It is dedicated to those who work, rest, or play on the inland waterways of the United States. Owners of river-related commercial or private sites can apply to join, bringing together as many waterways related sites as possible. Sign up (F-R-E-E), put the code on your page, and watch your hits skyrocket! Let’s see if we can make this one of the biggest and best river site rings on the web. Benefit from other river sites’ traffic and gain new visitors. If you sell a river-related product on your site, this is the ring for you! (You must copy and past the site ring graphic onto your web site as soon as your site is approved.) Chëck out the sites currently in the ring and their hit statistics as a dírect result of being in the site ring.
Tow Talkin'
October 2, 2006 By Kathy Flippo  The Mv. Richard A Baker went up, but I swear that the middle initial “A” was NOT on the signboards below the pilothouse or the side of the stern. The lock list shows the “A” in the listing though. One of life’s little mysteries.
September went out with lots of tow traffic, especially in the morning. The Floyd H. Blaske went down at dawn, and the former Herman Pott, now Ingram’s Mv. Richard E. Waugh, went up. While I was making breakfast (mid-morning around here!), the beautiful…to continue reading, click here. Click here to read previous columns. See you on the Web, Jack Little River Books jacksimpson@littleriverbooks.com Don't forget to visit our web site! |
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