Governor Quinn Addresses Big River Moves Leadership Forum

CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn addressed “The Big River Moves” leadership forum and stressed the importance of regional cooperation in ensuring a healthy and vibrant Mississippi River. Today’s address is part of Governor Quinn’s agenda to protect our natural resources and ensure a clean and healthy environment for future generations. Hosted by the America’s Wetland Foundation, the forum is the last of five held from Minneapolis to New Orleans to plan for a sustainable future for the nation’s most vital waterway.

“The Mississippi River is America’s lifeblood, but it has been tested recently by droughts, flooding, pollution and invasive species,” Governor Quinn said. “Whether you look to the Big Muddy to move products to market or for recreation, you cannot ignore the alarms. We must work together to protect this national treasure.”

Governor Quinn has worked with elected officials throughout the region to address many Mississippi River issues, particularly during last summer’s drought, which almost brought barge traffic to a standstill. In his address today, the governor stressed the importance of a continued regional and collaborative approach in crafting long-term solutions for the Mississippi River.

Since taking office, Governor Quinn has taken a number of critical steps to improve the state’s waterways, which include:

• The governor’s $1 billion Illinois Clean Water Initiative is a revolving loan fund, which enables smaller municipalities and counties to modernize water pipelines and treatment facilities. The initiative improves Illinois’ aging water infrastructure and will support an estimated 28,000 jobs.
• The Illinois Mud-to-Parks project is dredging sediment from the river bottom, barged to brownfields and abandoned industrial sites, then spreading it out as fresh topsoil. The project has led to better navigability, improved aquatic habitat and new green space in urban areas.
• The Illinois Drought Response Task Force is comprised of government agencies and wide-ranging stakeholders and helped Illinois and the federal government move quickly to dredge Mississippi River channels and remove the “pinnacles of Thebes” which hindered commercial shipping last fall.
• The Dam Removal Initiative has restored rivers to their natural flows by removing obsolete low-head dams, which improves water quality, fish habitat and safety for paddlers and fishermen.
• Through the Illinois Sister Rivers/Sister Lakes program, Governor Quinn has forged partnerships with seven nations to share ideas about such challenges as agricultural run-off, invasive species and pollution while boosting tourism and eco-awareness.