Declarations

Not Ready for a Third

“I don’t think anybody is ready for this. Not three in a row.”

—Fargo, N.D., Mayor Dennis Walaker. Fargo officials say a third straight year of major spring flooding is expected along the Red River. A National Weather Service flood outlook shows a 20 percent chance that the river will surpass a record crest in Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minn., in 2009. City officials said they plan to begin filling sandbags in a warehouse dubbed “Sandbag Central.” The city has 370,000 filled and shrink-wrapped sandbags in storage. The call for volunteers to fill an additional 2 million bags will likely come in mid-February. Volunteers filled 1 million sandbags between March 1 and March 15 a year ago. The river crested on March 20. AP

Shipments Up

“We obviously have a ways to go.”

—Glen Nekvasil, spokesman for Lake Carriers Association. Shipments of bulk cargo such as iron ore on the Great Lakes rose by one-third in 2010. A gradually healing economy is credited for the increase in waterborne transport of coal, limestone, sand and other raw materials. But the dramatic statistical improvement in 2010 also reflects the industry’s dismal showing in 2009. Ships hauled 88.7 million tons of dry bulk freight last year, up from 66.5 million tons in 2009, an increase of 33.4 percent. The biggest improvement was in iron ore for the steel industry, which shot up 75 percent – from 24 million tons in 2009 to 42 million tons last year. Still, overall cargo tonnage for 2010 was about 10 percent below the average for the previous five years.

Presidential Recognition

“The president has recognized that, in many cases, needless government regulation is hurting businesses more than it is helping consumers.”

—Jimi Grande, senior vice president of federal and political affairs for National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC). Property/casualty insurers found things to like in President Obama’s State of the Union speech that was largely focused on the economy and business. Medical malpractice reform, regulatory review, and trade agreements – these issues in particular that were mentioned by President Obama are ones the insurers hope the administration and Congress will pursue.