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// Written by Brad Walker, Rivers Director       October 17, 2013 PDF Version – Both Parts See Part 1 here if you have not read it. Unexpected direct and indirect actions affected the process surrounding the approval, development and construction of a facility to replace the original Locks and Dam 26 on the Mississippi River at…

Wednesday, October 16, St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green exposed St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay’s attempt to secure an open-ended, no-bid contract worth millions of dollars for Veolia, a French multi-national corporation with operations in water, sewage, hazardous waste, and garbage. At the meeting, Ms. Green brought to light a proposed contract that Slay is seeking…

// Written by Brad Walker, Rivers Director        October 7, 2013 PDF Version – Both Parts The Dam That Was Too Big to Hide: Part 2 A huge block of concrete looms in the Mississippi River just south of Alton, Illinois. It’s the Melvin Price Locks and Dam, and its story flows like a reality TV…

MCE’s Big Rivers Director critiques the Corps of Engineers overdue and over budget Olmstead dam project on the Ohio River- and distributes the blame to the barge industry for its dependence on taxpayer subsidies and unwillingness to pay its way. See the letter here.

Great Rivers Environmental Law Center filed a lawsuit September 23, 2013 on behalf of MCE against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its failure to release documents relating to wetlands in the Mississippi River Basin. MCE seeks to improve government accountability and transparency- both goals are thwarted by the Corps’ refusal to release critical…

// Written by Brad Walker, Rivers Director        September 3, 2013 Imagine your spouse is in charge of your checking account and instead of deducting all checks written, was instead adding a portion of them to the account total. What would be the result? At a minimum, you would receive a jarring message from your banker…