Mississippi River Commission in Vicksburg August 21

This story has been updated to include potential questions and registration requirements to speak at the meeting.

The Mississippi River Commission, headquartered in Vicksburg, announced that it will hold four public meetings in August on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flagship towboat, the motor vehicle Mississippi.

Commission members will meet with local partners, stakeholders and residents and hear their concerns, ideas and issues. All meetings are open to the public. Interested parties are invited to present their views on matters affecting the water resources infrastructure needs in the valley, including flood control, the Mississippi River and Tributaries project, and other water resources challenges.

All meetings will start at 9 a.m. and conclude by 12:30 p.m. The scheduled stops on the Mississippi River are:

August 19—Caruthersville, Mo., city front

August 20—Helena, Ark., Helena Harbor boat ramp;

August 21—Vicksburg, city front; and

August 23—Baton Rouge, La., city dock.

For more information, call 601-634-5768.

Each speaker must register to speak at the meetings, and you can download the registration form from this link. Speakers will be limited to five minutes. Other speaker requirements:

• To register to speak, email the registration form to cemvd-ex@usace.army.mil, prior to the public meeting.
• Fill out a separate registration form for each person who will give testimony at the public meeting.
• Arrive 30 minutes prior to the meeting. Name tags will be prepared based on information provided.
• Copies of the registration form are acceptable.

If you plan to attend regarding the Yazoo Pumps project, a concerned Vicksburg Daily News reader suggests that you press for answers to these questions:

1. What are you doing right now to finish the pumps?
2. What percentage of USACE’s total budget it spent on research and development to develop innovative ways to help with flood control?

The MRC, established in 1879 by an act of Congress, provides water resources engineering direction and policy advice to the administration, Congress and the U.S. Army in a drainage basin that covers 41 percent of the United States and parts of two Canadian provinces by overseeing the planning and reporting on the improvements on the Mississippi River. The intent behind the mission of the MRC today is the same as the mission placed on the commission upon its creation—to lead sustainable management and development of water related resources for the nation’s benefit and the people’s well-being.

In its current capacity, the Mississippi River Commission is charged with prosecuting the comprehensive river management program known as the Mississippi River and Tributaries project.

Updated to include speaking information.