History, Mission and Overview

The Upper Mississippi River Basin Task Force was created in 1997 to disseminate information and coordinate legislative efforts on areas of agreement for the benefit of the river basin. The Task Force annually champions the Environmental Management Program (EMP) and supports the newly developed Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program, both administered by the Army Corps of Engineers and authorized by the Water Resources Development Acts of 1986 and 2007 respectively.

The Upper Mississippi River Basin Task Force is a bipartisan group of members of the U.S. House of Representatives from the seven basin states -Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wisconsin - who coordinate Congressional efforts to promote the restoration and vitality of the Upper Mississippi River and its communities.

The Task Force promotes the health and well-being of the region’s natural resources by organizing educational briefings, formulating joint responses to emergencies, coordinating legislative efforts, tracking legislation and the appropriations process, and promoting other initiatives. The Task Force identifies and coordinates efforts on issues of importance to the nearly 30 million people who rely on the Upper Mississippi River’s waters.

Co-chairs of the Upper Mississippi River Basin Task Force are Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI-3^rd) and Tim Walz (D-MN-1^st).

The Institute provides research and policy analysis to the Upper Mississippi River Basin Task Force through Policy Analyst Mark Gorman ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).  To see more about the Instute's work in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, please visit the Institute's River Basin web site or these social media Internet sites: Northeast-Midwest Institute Mississippi River Basin Blog, Northeast-Midwest Institute Mississippi River Basin News Facebook Page, Twitter Feed (@NEMWIUpperMiss) or Flickr (photo) Page.