Save Wetlands in Missisippi! Stop the Yazoo Pumps

  • by: Environmental Defense
  • recipient: Administrator Stephen Johnson, Chairman James Connaughton, Mr. Marvin Cannon, Secretary Dirk Kempthorne
Some of the richest natural resources in the nation are in the heart of the Mississippi River flyway. The Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) wants to spend $211 million of your tax dollars on a project that could drain and damage more than 200,000 of the wetlands in this area.

In one of the most sparsely populated regions in the state of Mississippi, the Corps wants to build the world's largest hydraulic pumping plant. In a throwback to another era – and contrary to federal policy – the Yazoo Pumps would be used to drain wetlands so agribusiness can intensify production to reap more farm subsidy payments.

A less expensive alternative — which includes some structural flood protection and easements — would spare the wetlands and cost less money.

The Corps has released its final recommendation for the Yazoo Pumps, and we must put a stop to this wasteful and destructive project.

Tell the Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior to dump the Pumps and save the wetlands.

Dear Administrator Stephen Johnson, Chairman James Connaughton, Mr. Marvin Cannon, Secretary Dirk Kempthorne,

I strongly oppose construction of the Yazoo Backwater Pumping Plant (Yazoo Pumps) in Mississippi. The Yazoo Pumps would cause tremendous environmental destruction and waste at least $211 million federal tax dollars. I urge you to take all steps necessary to stop this project.

In 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that the Yazoo Pumps would drain and damage more than 200,000 acres of ecologically significant wetlands. This is more than nine times the wetlands that are harmed by private developers in an entire year nationwide. The Corps' recent claim that "only" 26,300 acres would be drained dry does nothing to make this project acceptable. If the Corps' assessment is correct, the Yazoo Pumps would still destroy 5,000 more acres of wetlands than are harmed by private developers in an entire year nationwide.

The wetlands that will be drained are a critical migration route for 20 percent of the nation' duck populations and include wetlands that federal taxpayers are already paying to protect in the Delta National Forest, a number of national wildlife refuges, and on lands enrolled in the Wetlands Reserve Program.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) says that these wetlands are some of the richest natural resources in the nation. In addition to being a haven for ducks and other migratory birds, they support critically important floodplain fisheries and a host of wildlife species. These wetlands also improve water quality and help reduce flood damages by acting as natural sponges that store and slowly release floodwaters after peak flood flows have passed. Not surprisingly, the Service has concluded that Yazoo Pumps are "ecologically unsound" and "totally contrary to the Service's goal for a balance between economic and environmental sustainability."

In a throwback to another era - and in direct violation of federal wetlands policy - the Corps will use the Yazoo Pumps to drain wetlands to allow more intensive farming on floodplain lands. Taxpayers will also bear the burden of any economic gains from this project. An economic analysis prepared for EPA shows that, at the most, the Yazoo Pumps will produce an increase in farm subsidy payments. Data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency shows that the Yazoo Pumps also make no sense for addressing the very limited residential flooding in this area.

The nation cannot afford the catastrophic environmental damage and economic consequences of the Yazoo Pumps. I urge you to take all steps necessary to stop this destructive, unnecessary, and wasteful project.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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