Erickson: Trump pauses study on Old River Control Structure

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The National Weather Service, in the run up to the peak of Hurricane Season, is rehiring over 100 critical roles that DOGE cut from the NWS. But there’s actually a bigger and far more critical cut that needs to be reconsidered by the President.

The Trump Administration has paused an Army Corps of Engineers review of the Old River Control Structure.

You have probably never heard of it. You have not, because it works. If it fails, not only will you hear about it, but it will be one of the most catastrophically disruptive economic events in American history. The Old River Control Structure keeps the Mississippi River from spilling over into the Red River and down into the Atchafalaya River Basin in South Louisiana.

As nature is prone to do, running water seeks efficient paths. It would be very efficient for the Mississippi River and the Red River to merge near Lettsworth, LA. The only thing keeping that from happening is the Old River Control Structure. If the Army project collapses, the rivers merge, South Louisiana floods, and most of the nation’s oil and gas refining capacity disappears within a week. Barge traffic up the Mississippi ends. Drinking water for millions is profoundly altered.

Here’s the problem. The Army Corps of Engineers was in the middle of a serious study on updates and alterations to the very, very old facility. That study has been paused indefinitely. It needs to be resumed immediately. The economic consequences to the American economy would be profound if something happens and the five year study is desperately needed.

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