The report is the latest bend in a long-bubbling feud over how the corps manages the water level of the Missouri River.
Environmentalists say the corps always puts the barge industry ahead of wildlife.
Barge supporters say there's more than one way to help endangered species along the river, and that altering flows would sink the industry. Late last week, the Congressional Research Service, an investigative arm of the Library of Congress, weighed in. Corps spokesman Paul Johnston said federal law requires his agency to keep a stable flow on the river for eight months each year. Any permanent change of this policy would need congressional approval. We think there is probably some precedent here.