24 • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
WEDNESDAY,JULY16,2003
ENVIRONMENT
Army Corps refuses to drop Missouri River water levels
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers refused to reduce water levels on the Missouri River last night, despite orders from a federal judge to cut flows to protect endangered birds and fish.
The corps said the judge's order, issued Saturday, conflicts with a ruling issued last year by a different federal court that requires enough water in the Missouri for barges to navigate and power plants to operate.
"It is impossible to simultaneously comply with the conflicting flow requirements obtained in the two orders," the corps said in a statement issued last night.
Instead, the corps is opening formal talks with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intended to result in a new "master manual" for the river's flow by next year. A new plan of operations was due last year but was postponed by the Bush administration.
The corps said the administration will ask Congress for $42 million next year to restore the Missouri River ecosystem.
A spokesman for the conservation group American Rivers called the move "too little, too late." A lawsuit by American Rivers and other groups prompted the judge's order for low flows.
"The corps has no intention of changing the master manual or doing anything beneficial for the river," said the spokesman, Chad Smith. "All of these actions are delay tactics ad nauseam."
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Saturday ordered the low flows to comply with the Endangered Species Act. But the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska ruled last year the river must have enough water for barges to navigate and power plants to operate.
At issue is an effort to restore the Missouri to a more natural spring rise and low summer flows to encourage fish spawning and bird nesting by species that are on the federal threatened and endangered lists.
RACE RELATIONS
NAACP: Retailers failing to employ enough blacks
The Associated Press
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The retail industry did a poor job of hiring and promoting blacks and did little marketing and charitable work for the black community, the NAACP said yesterday.
Retailers got an overall grade of D in a report released at the NAACP's annual convention.
It was the group's first ranking of the sector.
Three retailers — Dillard's, Kohl's department stores and Nordstrom got Fs. Of those three, only Dillard's
The highest grade was a C+, awarded to Wal-Mart.
"It is very obvious that in that industry the time for change is now," said NAACP President Kweisi Mfume. However, he noted most industries did poorly the first year the NAACP ranked them.
responded to the survey.
The report ranked 45 large companies based on employment, marketing procurement, community reinvestment and charitable donations.
Using information from the companies, the survey measured how much the activities involved blacks.
"Retailers are making progress in their diversity efforts," said Scott Krugman, a representative for the National Retail Federation. "We do acknowledge, however, that we do have a long way to go. Unfortunately change doesn't happen overnight."
Nordstrom representative Brooke White said her company couldn't complete the survey within the two weeks required by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
She said Nordstrom was a partner with the civil rights group in black youth programs across the nation.