Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Army Corps of Engineers releases massive Missouri River Draft Adaptive Management Plan and EIS for public comment


Deadline for Public Comment Extended to April 24, 2017

posted by Missouri River Relief - Dec. 21, 2016
(updated Feb. 7, 2017)

 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a revised management plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Missouri River Recovery Program, intended to help the recovery of three endangered species – the pallid sturgeon, the piping plover and the interior least tern.

This massive document, which provides alternatives to Missouri River management in order to comply with the Endangered Species Act, was released last week, along with a schedule of public meetings and a public comment period. The proposed plan utilizes Adaptive Management to allow managers to more quickly adopt changes based on what the latest science reveals.

After petitioning from several stakeholder groups, the USACE has extended the comment period from 70 days to 120 days. The new deadline for public comments will be April 24, 2017. 

There will be public meetings throughout the basin in February.