________________________________________________________________________Richard S. Kem
A:
Well, I guess time erases most of this. I'm sure they had some things to say. General Heiberg,
I know, was helpful. We talked a lot in just looking forward. He had been the division
engineer out there. He liked the people. I'm sure he commented on them, and had a few
insights that he passed on.
I guess the one I'm sure they all mentioned was the TennesseeTombigbee because it was a
major issue that required focus because it was continually under attack. Every year the
coalition of environmentalists and railroads would gather their supporting congressmen, and
they would prepare to do battle in the annual budget process. Congressmen [ Jamie] Whitten
and [Thomas] Bevill and their staffs were fighting the "pro" fight to keep it going. There was
almost a siege mentality in that the votes were closer than people wanted them to be, and you
just never could be sure that something wouldn't happen to tip it another way. So, they
wanted to make darn sure that we were proceeding with the construction as fast as possible.
Q:
Was there much interaction when you were first getting ready for your testimony, taking a
project like TennTom, for example, with the South Atlantic Division, which had more of
the TennTom work, I believe, than your division did? What kind of interaction did you have
on that particular project?
A:
Oh, considerable. First of all, the South Atlantic Division had the lead role--they were the
lead division, no question about it. Major General Jim Ellis was the South Atlantic Division
Engineer at that time--an old friend and West Point classmate. We had talked before my
arrival in the Ohio River Division, and we got together early on to ensure we were
coordinated. We met quarterly with our staffs at various places, to ensure we were all locked
in and moving along. We did our independent work but we submitted all matters through the
South Atlantic Division with respect to the TennTom budget and program. They really had
the overall responsibility, which was right, not just because they had the major part of the
project in their geographic area.
To answer your question, we stayed coordinated throughout and we were coordinated on our
testimony. That particular year, 1981, we both testified before the Senate, which typically
hadn't held hearings. In all the hearings, the South Atlantic Division would go first and we
would follow. We'd always be locked together--General Ellis would cover the overall
aspects of the TennTom plus give the update on Mobile District's part of the actual
construction. Then I would follow with Nashville District's part, which was the very
significant divide cut, which always had a high focus. Although there were many different
aspects and parts to the project, some had to do with cutting out bends and oxbows and
weren't so dramatic as cutting 175 feet through the divide--so a big budget item, big ticket
item, always something to measure, something to see, and really a significant thing. You
could build all kinds of parts of the waterway, but till you cut through the divide, you
couldn't pass the water from the Ohio River basin to the Gulf.
The divide cut plus Bay Springs Lock and Dam, the largest lock chamber (84 feet) in the
system, were rather significant components of the whole. I would follow the South Atlantic
Division and report on those aspects of the waterway project.
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