Mississippi River Drying Up

I wonder if we realize how much of your food and energy moves on barges up and down the Mississippi River?  Probably not.

So what happens if the river goes dry because of a record drought?  How will the food and oil need to be transported?

Answer;  by trucks.  And it takes a MASSIVE amount of trucks using diesel fuel to haul over the road what a barge can float in in the river.

Want to see food and energy prices soar?....start hauling them by truck instead of barge.

The worst drought in more than 50 years is having a devastating impact on the Mississippi River. The Mississippi has become very thin and very narrow, and if it keeps on dropping there is a very real possibility that all river traffic could get shut down. And considering the fact that approximately 60 percent of our grain (NYSEARCA:JJG), 22 percent of our oil (NYSEARCA:USO) and natural gas (NYSEARCA:UNG), and and one-fifth of our coal travel down the Mississippi River, that would be absolutely crippling for our economy. It has been estimated that if all Mississippi River traffic was stopped that it would cost the U.S. economy 300 million dollars a day.

 So far most of the media coverage of this historic drought has focused on the impact that it is having on farmers and ranchers, but the health of the Mississippi River is also absolutely crucial to the economic success of this nation, and right now the Mississippi is in incredibly bad shape. In some areas the river is already 20 feet below normal and the water is expected to continue to drop. If we have another 12 months of weather ahead of us similar to what we have seen over the last 12 months then the mighty Mississippi is going to be a complete and total disaster zone by this time next year.

"You might think this is some kind of desert just outside of Memphis. It’s not. I’m actually standing on the exposed bottom of the Mississippi River. That’s how dramatic the drought impact is being felt here. Hard to believe, a year ago we were talking about record flooding. Now, they are worried about a new kind of record: a record low. The river was three miles wide here, it’s now down to three tenths of a mile. And that’s causing all kinds of problems. There are some benefits, I mean, take a look over here: new beach front. In fact, some quip that now the Mississippi River has more beaches than the entire state of Florida, which would be funny if it didn’t have an impact on trade.
A lot of stuff we use goes up and down the Mississippi River. We are talking steel, coal, ore, grain. The problem is now a lot of those barges have had to lighten their loads, and even doing that, they are still running aground. There is a real fear that there could be a possibility of closing the Mississippi River. If that happens, well, all that product that used to be carried cheaply by barge is now going to be carried more expensively by truck or train. And guess who is going to pay for all of that."

Here;  http://etfdailynews.com/2012/08/15/the-mississippi-river-is-drying-up-as-food-prices-continue-to-surge-moo-dba-ung-uso-jjg/

Isn't that something??  Last year the Mississippi was at record flood levels.  No one had EVER seen the river that full.  The Missouri river was getting so high they opened flood gates along the river that had NEVER been opened.

And now the river is so low that many have NEVER seen it that low.  If rain doesn't come the river could go dry in some places.

What's interesting is that when it is hot and dry, people scream "Global Warming!"  And when it is cold and wet, those same folks scream, "Global Warming!"

Here is what we can expect going forward;  The global warming crowd is going to become more and more convinced that the world is going to go extinct unless we take DRASTIC measures immediately.  One of those measures WILL be some type of one-world-environmental panel.  We simply can't have America tearing down coal plants and doing away with gas engines while India and China are building 1 coal plant per day just to keep up with their power demands.

Also look for the hatred and venom to come at those of us who believe in a biblical world view...mainly that the world is groaning because it is dying...but not for the reasons the global warming folks are dying to enforce.