Perpetual Discord? Missouri River Conflict-Resolution Efforts John E. Thorson June 2015.
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Transcript of Perpetual Discord? Missouri River Conflict-Resolution Efforts John E. Thorson June 2015.
Perpetual Discord?Missouri River Conflict-Resolution Efforts
John E. ThorsonJune 2015
The Pick-Sloan Plan was an historic compromise.
Why 70 years of conflict?
Conflict-Resolution on Interstate Rivers
Interstate compacts
Original actions before Supreme Court
Congressional action
Informal, sub-national arrangements
Failure of the Pick-Sloan Plan to Resolve Conflict
Inherent contradictions
Affected interests & parties left out of the Plan
Implementation failure
Ineffective administrative entity
Unanticipated developments & inflexibility
Conflict-Resolution EffortsMissouri Basin States Association (MBSA)
ETSI Pipeline Project v. Missouri (SCOTUS 1988)1986 State Negotiations
Northern Lights Institute/Missouri River Assembly (1985-90)
Negotiations re Master Manual Review (1996-97)
National Academies/National Review Council (2002)
Conflict-Resolution EffortsMissouri River Summit (2003)
Impact of Endangered Species Act Listings & Biological Opinions (2000, 2003)
Conflict-Resolution by Litigation
South Dakota v. Ubbelohde (8th Cir. 2003)
Disparate U.S. District Court Litigation (SD, ND, NE, DC) (2002-03)
Multidistrict Litigation Panel Consolidation Judge Paul Magnuson (D. MN) (2003-04)
In re Operation of the Missouri River System Litigation, No. 07-1149 (8th Cir. Feb. 8, 2008)
MRRICFederal Working Group (2006) – USACE & USFWS
as lead agencies
Water Resources Development Act (2007)
Planning Group & Drafting Team (2007-08)
MRRIC Charter (July 1, 2008)
28 Stakeholders16 Interest Categories
o Agriculture (2 members)o Fish & Wildlife (2 members)o Irrigation (1
member)o Navigation (1 member)o Recreation (2
members)o Water Quality (2
members)o Water Supply (2
members)
o Conservation Districts (1 member)
o Flood Control (2 members)o Major Tributaries (2
members)o Thermal Power (2
members)o Hydropower (1 member)o Local Government (2
members)o Waterway Industries (2 members)
o At Large/Other Interests (2 members)o Environmental/Conservation Orgs (2 members)
As of 2010-2011
Missouri River Basin Tribes
Maritime Administration
National Park Service
National Weather Service / NOAA
US Coast Guard
USDA Forest Service
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
US Geological Survey
Western Area Power Administration
US Army Corps of Engineers
US Fish & Wildlife Service
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Reclamation
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Agencies Represented
Role of MRRIC Bank Stabilization and
Navigation Project (BSNP) Mitigation Plan
Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2007
2003 Biological Opinion (BiOp)
(amended)
MRRIC
Provide Recommendations
Missouri River Ecosystem
Restoration Plan (MRERP)
(Study)
Missouri River Recovery
Program (MRRP)(Existing Recovery& Mitigation Plans)
Independent Science Panel
Oak Ridge Associated Universities – Third Party Science Neutral
Independent Science Advisory Panel – 6 members
Independent Social Economic Technical Review Panel – 3 members
Independent Science Panel
Steven M. Bartell, Ph.D. – Quantitative Ecologist/Statistician
Martin W. Doyle, Ph.D. – River Hydrologist/Geomorphologist
Adrian H. Farmer, Ph.D. – Least Tern/Piping Plover Specialist
Christopher S. Guy, Ph.D. – Sturgeon Specialist
Gary Lamberti, Ph.D. – Aquatic/Riverine Ecologist
Dennis D. Murphy, Ph.D. – Conservation Biologist
AssessmentLitigation – Watch your dosage
Who should be at the table? When is too many too cumbersome?
When is there an agreement in multi-party negotiations?
Consensus is a challenging decision rule
When is an agreement final? Especially in an adaptive management context?
AssessmentUnanticipated, uncontrollable events
Good facilitators or mediators are priceless
Technology is indispensable
Collaborators must often invent intermediate procedures
Collaboration on this scale is an expensive undertaking
Missouri Basin residents have ignored their resources (in so many ways)
Bottom Line:How Are We Doing?