U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Archives

Missouri congressman: COVID-19 has been devastating for businesses and American workers (AUDIO)

April 23, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A southwest Missouri congressman who serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee has been chosen by President Donald Trump to serve on the President’s task force on reopening the economy.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, represents southwest Missouri on Capitol Hill (official photo courtesy of Congressman Long’s Washington office)

U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, emphasizes that it’s a bipartisan task force.

“There’s some Democrats on there and it’s really interesting to hear them on our conference calls, bragging on the president, telling him what a good job he’s doing, and then the rest of the year they don’t have such kind things to say about him,” Long says.

Long is confident we can protect our citizens, “without crushing our economy.”

“Folks are ready to get back to work. They want to open up the stores and go out and get a haircut and get their dog groomed and go out to dinner and sit down and have a nice meal,” says Long. “And the people that work in those places are more than ready to get back to work.”

Long says COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on American businesses and workers.

Springfield health officials say there have been 93 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Springfield and Greene County, including eight deaths. 35 are active cases, and 50 have recovered.

Congressman Long tells Missourinet that three weeks ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was considering building temporary hospitals for coronavirus, in his district.

“And as of the night before last, there was a total of six COVID patients in hospital beds in the 7th (congressional) District,” Long says.

He says five of those patients are in Springfield, and one is hospitalized in Joplin. Long’s district includes Springfield, Branson, Joplin and Republic.

Long also says Springfield’s Cox Hospital completely converted an empty floor for COVID-19 patients, and that it has not been used. He praises CoxHealth’s preparation.

He also says rural hospitals have been hurting financially, because they haven’t been able to perform elective surgeries.

Long voted for the bipartisan COVID-19 legislation on Capitol Hill on Thursday, which contains $75 billion for personal protective equipment for health care employees and another $25 billion to expand testing.

Instead of flying to the nation’s capitol, he rode in a vehicle with U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Salem, who met Congressman Long on Wednesday morning in Rolla. Smith drove the vehicle, and they arrived in Washington D.C. late Wednesday night.

State health officials say there are now 6,321 confirmed coronavirus cases in Missouri, along with 218 deaths. The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) announced the latest statistics Thursday afternoon. The number of deaths has increased by ten, from Wednesday’s number of 208 deaths.

Click here to listen to the full five-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, which was recorded on April 22, 2020:

Northern Missouri Congressman Graves focusing on flooding and levees (AUDIO)

February 29, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A congressman who represents north Missouri on Capitol Hill warns that northwest Missouri is still suffering from flooding, and that there’s a lot of damage to infrastructure.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, tours the MFA Rail facility near northwest Missouri’s Hamilton on October 8, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Graves’ office)

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, traveled from his Atchison County farm to Jefferson City this week to file for re-election to his 11th term. Graves is the longest-serving Republican in Missouri’s congressional delegation. He’s also a dean in the delegation, along with U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis. Both were elected to Congress in 2000.

Congressman Graves spoke to Missourinet after he filed, reiterating that flooding and transportation are his top two priorities. He says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and other House Democrats have focused too much attention on impeachment.

“We haven’t worked on flood legislation, we have not worked on prescription drugs, we have not got an infrastructure bill because they’ve been spending all of their time with impeachment, and that’s all they seem to want to do,” Graves says.

Graves, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, says there are flood-damaged roads and bridges in northwest Missouri that still need to be rebuilt.

He’s critical of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saying they don’t listen.

“It’s a management situation, that’s what it comes down to is how they manage the Missouri River,” Graves says. “And we’ve got people’s lives on the line, and their livelihoods and the farms and their communities.”

Congressman Graves and Governor Mike Parson (R) have both criticized the Corps. Parson and the governors of neighboring Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska have met with the Corps of Engineers three times to discuss what needs to be done differently in the future.

The governors have signed a four-state agreement to cooperate on issues relating to flood control and the Corps.

As for Graves, he wants to see changes in Corps plans.

“It’s very frustrating that the Corps doesn’t seem to want to to change,” says Graves. “And it’s like dragging them, kicking and screaming.”

Graves says flood control should be the Corps’ top priority for the Missouri River. He also notes the severe flooding that happened in 2019 in north-central Missouri’s Brunswick, which is in his district.

Severe flooding from the Grand River caused a railroad bridge to wash out in Brunswick, and it also damaged other infrastructure in the town of about 800.

The Missouri Farm Bureau says more than 1.4 million acres of farmland in the state went unplanted in 2019, due to flooding.

The state Department of Agriculture (MDA), the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Farm Bureau, the Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association and the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River will hold round table discussions Monday and Tuesday about flooding.

The meetings are designed to answer questions from farmers about 2019 flooding and to help them prepare for potential flooding this spring.

There will be two meetings on Monday in northwest Missouri: at 10 a.m. at the Atchison County Extension Building in Rock Port and at 2:30 p.m. at the East Hills Library in St. Joseph. Tuesday’s meetings will take place at 9 a.m. at the Knight and Rucker Banquet Hall in Brunswick and at 2:30 at the Corner restaurant in east-central Missouri’s Rhineland.

Graves was re-elected to his tenth term in 2018, defeating Democrat Henry Robert Martin with about 65 percent of the vote.

Four Democrats have already filed to challenge Graves. They are Kansas City’s Martin, Kansas City’s Ramona Farris, Canton’s Charles West and Platte City resident Gena Ross.

The sprawling sixth congressional district covers 36 northern Missouri counties, from the Missouri to the Mississippi River. It covers more square miles than nine U.S. states.

The district includes St. Joseph, Chillicothe, Bethany, Macon, Kirksville and Hannibal.

Click here to listen to the full three-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, which was recorded on February 25, 2020 at the Kirkpatrick Building in Jefferson City:

Task force gets some positive news on Missouri spring flooding potential

February 24, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The National Weather Service says Missouri faces above-average flood risk this spring because soil is still saturated from last spring’s flooding. About 1.2 million acres of Missouri farmland was damaged by flooding in 2019.

Missouri Agriculture Director Chris Chinn (Photo courtesy of Brownfield Ag News)

But, Missouri Agriculture Director Chris Chinn says the Governor’s Flood Advisory Task Force has received a glimmer of good news from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about the potential for spring flooding.

“The reservoirs up north right now have more storage capacity than they did last year at this time. So that’s a positive piece of information that we were really glad to hear,” says Chinn.

Chinn is a member of that task force. She farms in northeast Missouri’s Clarence.

“Last year at this time, we had a really deep freeze in the ground. Right now, we don’t have that,” she says. “So, we’re not going into the spring in the exact same situations that we were last year.”

Chinn says a lot of farm ground is unprotected.

“We do have a lot of levees right now that have not been able to be repaired because the water simply did not recede,” she says.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture, Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River are hosting meetings in northwest Missouri March 2nd and 3rd for farmers to meet with state and federal emergency management officials and the USDA’s RMA, FSA and NRCS agencies to ask questions and share their concerns.

Missouri’s Luetkemeyer and Parson warn about possible spring flooding (AUDIO)

February 20, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri congressman whose district includes the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers is worried about possible flooding again this spring.

U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, spoke in Jefferson City on February 17, 2020 (photo from Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth)

U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, expressed his concerns during an interview with Missourinet this week in Jefferson City. Luetkemeyer’s district includes Jefferson City, Hermann, Washington and St. Charles.

“I know they didn’t get as much water out of the reservoirs up north as they wanted, so that’s a bad combination,” Luetkemeyer says. “Too much water already is in storage.”

Luetkemeyer, who serves on the Mississippi River Flood Valley Association, says it’s time for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to come up with a plan for the Missouri River. He says a plan is needed, noting the state saw record flooding in 2019.

“And you start from St. Louis and go all the way back to Gavins Point, and working with the Corps to have them sit down and do the analysis of what it would take,” says Luetkemeyer.

He says a plan has been in place for 80 years involving the Mississippi River, between St. Louis and New Orleans. Luetkemeyer emphasizes that the plan works.

Congressman Luetkemeyer has met with Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) and members of the state’s congressional delegation to discuss the flooding issue. Luetkemeyer says it’s a bipartisan issue.

As for the governor, he says President Donald Trump shares his concerns about possible flooding again this spring along the Missouri River. Parson tells Missourinet that he spoke to the president about the issue a few weeks ago.

“He seemed to be engaged on that, he said that he would try to help with that, so that was very encouraging for him to be talking about that,” Parson says.

Parson and the governors of neighboring Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska have met with the Corps of Engineers three times to discuss what needs to be done differently in the future.

The governor’s proposed budget sets aside $4 million in disaster recovery funds.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, which was recorded on February 17, 2020 at Jefferson City’s Capitol Plaza Hotel:

Missouri sues federal agencies, others in effort to halt proposed North Dakota water project

February 6, 2020 By Alisa Nelson

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, and several other officials in an attempt to stop the construction of a water diversion project in North Dakota.

Missouri sues federal agencies, others in effort to halt proposed North Dakota water project

The lawsuit alleges that North Dakota and the Bureau of Reclamation failed to conduct significant analysis on the impact of the Central North Dakota Project, and falsely stated that the project would pose insignificant impacts on “existing water needs and uses.”

The Central North Dakota Project is a proposed water service contract between the North Dakota Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion) and the Bureau of Reclamation. That contract is reliant upon the construction of a six mile pipeline that would deliver water from the McClusky Canal to the Red River Valley Water Supply Project. Waters that run through the McClusky Canal originate from Lake Audubon, which is connected to and comprised of Missouri River water.

Noted in the lawsuit is the fact that the Missouri River is already depleted by an average of 5.05 million acre-feet per year by the Garrison Dam, located just downstream of the proposed Central ND Project.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri, Central Division. View the lawsuit here.

Blunt pleased with USDA’s Kansas City relocation decision (AUDIO)

August 16, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

SEDALIA, Mo.- The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) decision to relocate two major facilities to the greater Kansas City area is being praised by Missouri’s senior senator.

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) flips steaks at the Missouri Beef House at the State Fair in Sedalia on August 15, 2019 (photo courtesy of Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Twitter page)

U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R) spoke to Missourinet at the governor’s ham breakfast Thursday in west-central Missouri’s Sedalia.

“I think that’s one of the great things about the USDA deciding to move those ag research jobs from Washington D.C. to the Kansas City area with access to all our great land grant institutions in the middle of the country,” Blunt says.

USDA plans to relocate its Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agricultural Policy. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, says the decision will draw more than 550 jobs to the Kansas City region, with average wages between $80,000 and $100,000.

Meantime, Senator Blunt is hopeful that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will manage the Missouri River differently.

“Since the 2004 (Corps) management plan, we’ve had moderate to high flooding every year but two, with the same rainfall we had in many years before that that didn’t produce that flooding,” says Blunt.

Blunt, Governor Parson and members of the state’s congressional delegation held a press conference on the flooding issue at Thursday’s fair. They were joined by Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst.

Parson says more than 80 Missouri levees have overtopped or breached in 2019.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full four-minute interview with U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R), which was recorded at the State Fair in Sedalia on August 15, 2019:

Congressman Graves: Corps’ priorities for Missouri River are backwards (AUDIO)

August 10, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A congressman who represents flood-damaged northern Missouri is blasting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, saying it’s “long past time” that flood control is the top priority for the Missouri River.

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, tours the MFA Rail facility near northwest Missouri’s Hamilton on October 8, 2018 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Graves’ office)

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, the ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, visited flood-impacted Brunswick on Friday. Brunswick, a Chariton County town of about 800, sustained severe flooding from the Grand River this summer.

Graves met with Brunswick officials to discuss flood recovery efforts. He tells Missourinet he’s losing his patience.

“This is so frustrating, it’s getting old, it’s getting tiresome, it’s affecting people’s lives, it’s affecting communities,” Graves says.

He says flooding has caused devastation across north Missouri, including Brunswick. Graves describes the Corps’ management priorities on the Missouri River as “backwards.”

“And it’s so frustrating, you just literally want to pull your hair out,” says Graves. “And we continue to pound on the Corps and push the Corps and we can’t seem to get anywhere with them.”

Graves agrees with Governor Mike Parson’s call for the Corps to manage the Missouri River differently.

Parson notes that he and fellow governors from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska have met with the Corps, urging them to give states a seat at the table. Parson says states must have a significant say in Missouri River management.

Graves represents 36 counties across north Missouri. His sprawling district, which has more square miles than nine states, spans from the Missouri to the Mississippi rivers.

Graves’ district includes Brunswick, St. Joseph and Hannibal.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, which was recorded on August 7, 2019:

Parson and Cleaver to meet to discuss Missouri flooding and infrastructure issues

July 29, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor is reiterating his call for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to manage the Missouri River differently. Governor Mike Parson briefed Capitol reporters last week at the Statehouse in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson talks with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (left) and others in flooded Orrick in April 2019 (file photo courtesy of Congressman Cleaver’s office)

“And if it means more money through some of the states, we’ve met with other governors,” Parson says. “The governor of Nebraska, the governors of Iowa and Kansas and talked about that very same thing.”

Parson notes more than 80 Missouri levees have overtopped or breached in 2019.

“How can we maybe pool some resources together to try to help this management of the Missouri River on the Missouri side of it, similar to what we do on the Mississippi (River) side,” says Parson.

Meantime, Governor Parson (R) will be meeting with U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, and western Missouri farmers on Tuesday to discuss flooding and other agricultural issues.

Parson will travel to the state Department of Conservation’s Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs to meet with Congressman Cleaver and the Fifth District Agriculture Advisory Committee. Blue Springs is a Kansas City suburb.

The governor has signed an executive order creating a flood recovery advisory working group. Parson says Missouri “has been plagued by record-level flooding this year.” Parson says the group will provide input on Missouri’s flood recovery priorities and will also give feedback on Missouri’s current levee system.

While tomorrow’s 10 a.m. meeting is closed, Governor Parson and Congressman Cleaver will brief reporters after the Blue Springs meeting.

During an interview at the 2018 Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Cleaver praised Parson’s emphasis on infrastructure.

“And then when he (Governor Parson) told me that he was going to put a list together of things that he wanted to do, and infrastructure was one of them, I said governor you and I are going to have a partnership. You can expect all the support you need from me,” Cleaver told Missourinet at the fair.

Cleaver’s district includes Kansas City and three rural western Missouri counties: Lafayette, Ray and Saline.

Army Corps of Engineers pegs costs to restore levee system at $1B+, for now

July 1, 2019 By Missourinet Contributor

It will cost a lot to replace the levees damaged by this year’s flood.

The initial levee break which closed U.S. Route 59 in southern Buchanan County the first time./Photo courtesy of the Kansas Highway Patrol

It will also take a lot of time.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released an estimate of the cost of repairing 100 damaged levees along the Platte River and the Missouri River.

“Right now, we’re estimating at $1.15 billion,” Tom Brady with the Northwest District of the Corps of Engineers tells those on a conference call. “That number will change, because there are many levees we haven’t had access to.”

Brady emphasizes that is only a preliminary estimate.

“A lot of those estimates are based on desktop recon, because we’re not able to get to some of those levees that are under water,” Brady says. “So, we don’t have a full magnitude of the damage. And, so until we get ground truth, we really can’t give you a good targeted amount.”

Brady says that price tag is likely to go higher when floodwaters recede and inspectors can actually view the damage. Also, more requests for repairs are likely to be fielded by the Corps.

Brady does hold out the possibility that costs could go down.

“Because when we see the damage on the ground, we may find that we are able to cut back on some of our estimates,” Brady says. “We won’t know until we can get engineers out on those 850 miles of levees.”

The Corps also estimates it will take at least a couple of years to fully restore the levees damaged by this year’s flood.

By Brent Martin of Missourinet affiliate KFEQ in St. Joseph

Missouri Governor Parson urges Corps to give states a seat at the table

May 30, 2019 By Missourinet Contributor

(This story is written by news director Brent Martin at Missourinet St. Joseph affiliate KFEQ Radio)

ST. JOSEPH, Mo.- Missouri’s governor toured flood-damaged northwest Missouri Wednesday evening, after meeting earlier in the day with three fellow governors and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Council Bluffs.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson speaks to State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer (left) and State Rep. Sheila Solon (right) at Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph on May 29, 2019 (photo courtesy of KFEQ’s Brent Martin)

Governor Mike Parson says Missouri is battling Mother Nature as the state fights flooding from border to border. He tells Missourinet St. Joseph affiliate KFEQ Radio (AM 680) there is virtually no part of the state that hasn’t been impacted by flooding.

“You know it’s just unfortunate right now, it just seems like we can’t get a break with the rain. No matter where we’re at, it’s just a problem and right now, we’re just trying to hold our own here in Missouri. We’re just fighting everyday to try to make sure these levees stay in place and trying to sandbag all over the state right now,” Parson says.

Parson tells KFEQ that he and fellow governors from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska met with the Corps about the current situation. He says all four expressed their concerns about additional releases from Gavins Point Dam, and are calling for greater input from the states on how the Corps manages the river.

Parson says the governors are urging the Corps to give states a seat at the table. He says states must have a significant say in Missouri River management.

Governor Parson surveyed the Buchanan County flooding with State Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, and State Rep. Sheila Solon, R-St. Joseph. Senator Luetkemeyer, who represents Buchanan and Platte Counties, says farms, homes and businesses throughout low-lying areas of his district have been inundated with rising flood waters.

Luetkemeyer notes flooding has been a “persistent problem” along the Missouri River since March. U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt told reporters this week in Jefferson City that northwest Missouri’s Craig has already flooded three times this year.