WEBVTT

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today . We're here on the motor vessel .

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Mississippi on the Mississippi River .

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We've just signed the feasibility cost

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sharing agreement with the lower

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Mississippi River Conservation

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Committee who is our nonfederal partner

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in this study . Uh We've agreed to

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split the costs on this study , which

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is going to look at environmental

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restoration along the reach of the

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Mississippi River starting here in

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Memphis and headed north . This is an

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absolutely outstanding opportunity to

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show how we can have navigation , flood

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control coexist on Mississippi River

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with environmental restoration . We've

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done an incredible job over many , many

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decades of taming this river and making

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it useful for our economy for all the

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citizens and the farmers and the

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industry's at work and live up and down

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the river , but that has resulted in

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some disconnection between the river

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and some of the natural habitat . In

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fact , about 80% of the natural

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floodplain in Mississippi River is

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actually disconnected from it now . Uh

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and while we can't reconnect all of

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that , we can certainly go a long way

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towards providing an environment which

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is conducive to the many plants and

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animals and fish that call this region

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home . And we're very excited to have

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this study . This is one of only 10

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general investigations that was funded

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this year in the Corps of Engineers and

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there's many , many projects need is

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probably hundreds of projects , maybe

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thousands of water resource needs

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around our nation . And so to be

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awarded one of these investigations .

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One of these studies is really an honor .

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We're really excited to do this . We're

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excited to have such a great

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partnership with us on this part of the

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river to bring this to fruition . Yes ,

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this study is outgrowth of an

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assessment that was done over the past

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decade of options on this reach on

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the entire Mississippi River for what

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could be done to reconnect backwaters ,

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oxbow lake side channels , look at all

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of the diverse ecosystems and all of

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the plants and animals that call this

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region home . And we're very excited

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that at this point we're gonna be able

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to move this in to the feasibility uh

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portion of the project where we're

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going to be able to come up with some

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good solutions that are going to

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accomplish that . This is an amazing

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resource , not just because we're able

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to barge goods up and down or have

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arable land on its boundaries ,

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but also because of the incredible

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biodiversity that exists . And you know ,

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the Mississippi River is the largest

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flyway for migratory birds anywhere in

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the world . So it's like an interstate

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for these birds and foul that move up

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and down . And it's very important to

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keep the environment conducive to that