(Associated Press) The Army Corps of Engineers has turned back requests by federal lawmakers and the barge industry to release more of the Missouri River it is withholding, believing the drought-starved Mississippi River the Missouri feeds still will remain open to shipping despite mounting concerns.
In a letter Thursday, Army Assistant Secretary Jo-Ellen Darcy told lawmakers from Mississippi River states that she doesn’t consider it necessary to boost Missouri River flows into the Mississippi — something the politicians had urgently sought.
