December 3, 2004December 3, 2004
Mr. Donald C. Strimbeck, Secretary
Upper Monongahela River Association Incorporated
P.O. Box 519 Granville, WV 26534-0519
Dear Mr. Strimbeck:
I am writing in response to your e-mail to Brad Clemenson, my District Director. As you know, this is an extremely difficult time for our nation as we are currently running record deficits caused by our poor economy over the past several years, the war in Iraq, the tax cuts and other factors.
In the current fiscal climate, funding for the Army Corps of Engineers has suffered. This year, my two highest priorities for the Army Corps of Engineers were to reduce the impact of the Reduction in Force order in the Pittsburgh District, and to advance the construction of the Lower Monongahela lock and dam project.
Efforts regarding the Reduction in Force were not very successful. The Army Corps informs me that, on Sept. 30, 2003, the Pittsburgh District employed approximately 790 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. At the current time, their FTE level is only about 560, so they have lost 230 jobs in a little more than a year. This reduction has had a major impact in the region's economy and resulted in many of my constituents taking early retirements or moving to other government jobs outside the area.
The Lower Mon project at its reduced funding levels will not be completed for another 19 years. Until this project is completed, a great inefficiency will remain in the overall river navigation system, and this inefficiency has an enormous negative impact on the economy throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania and neighboring West Virginia because an estimated 60,000 jobs are directly related to the rivers. And until this project is completed, there is substantial risk that the old dam, constructed in 1903, may collapse and completely shut down Mon River navigation. While I succeeded in increasing the funding for this critical project by $4.5 million, the final appropriation of $35.5 million remains well below what is needed to restore the project to a more reasonable construction schedule.
I regret to inform you that, with the tremendous funding problems faced by the Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District at this time, no additional funding was available in the Fiscal 2005 appropriation for operations of the Upper Allegheny or Upper Monongahela locks and dams.
Sincerely,
John P. Murtha
Member of Congress