Farmers, business owners and land owners along the Missouri River from North Dakota to Missouri filed a lawsuit against the U-S Army Corps of Engineers relating to the devastating flooding that has impacted their way of life over the last 10 years. Edwin Smith is an attorney with Polsinelli PC in Kansas City, Missouri who represents the 200-plus plaintiffs that claim for six decades they experienced occasional floods but in 2004 the Corps changed their priority from flood control to wildlife protection.

Smith says the Corps violated the Constitution when they switched their priorities from flood control to wildlife management.

Smith says for six decades prior to 2004 the Corps managed operations of dams and reservoirs and flooding was less frequent. However when their policy changed to conform operations with environmental laws and regulations the flooding is much more frequent and severe.