VICKSBURG, Miss. – Due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the region, the Mississippi River Commission has canceled its annual low water inspection trip and public hearings on board the MV Mississippi, scheduled for Aug. 23–27, 2021. The health and safety of our people and communities remains our priority.
“I am disappointed to announce that we will cancel this year’s low water inspection trip. The health and welfare of our crew, partners and communities is paramount. My fellow commissioners and I remain committed and engaged with our federal, state, and local partners as we continue to prosecute our essential mission in support of the Mississippi River and Tributaries project,” said Maj. Gen. Diana Holland, President of the Mississippi River Commission and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division.
In order for public testimony to still be received by the commission, individual districts will solicit testimony to be filed for the record from stakeholders with an opening date for submission of Aug. 23, 2021 and closing on Sept. 3, 2021. Please email signed copies of your statement to cemvd-ex@usace.army.mil or mail printed signed copies to:
Mississippi River Commission
ATTN: Edie Whittington
P.O. Box 80
Vicksburg, MS 39181-0080
The Mississippi River Commission, established in 1879, is composed of seven members, each appointed by the President of the United States. Three of the organization's members are officers of the Corps of Engineers; one member is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and three members are civilians, two of whom are civil engineers.
General duties of the commission include recommending policy and work programs, studying and reporting on the necessity for modifications or additions to the flood control and navigation project and conducting semi-annual inspection trips. The authority of the commission extends the entire length of the Mississippi River from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to Head of Passes, Louisiana, where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Mississippi River Commission brings critical engineering representation to the drainage basin, which impacts 41% of the United States and includes 1.25 million square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states and two Canadian provinces.
-end-