Region Seven and Eight Geography

 

The ten state study region covers 867,269.54 square miles, 24.14 % of the total land area of the United States.  In 2000 the population of this area was 21,758,584, 7.91% of the national census.  13,310,396 (61.17%) of the population of the region reside in U.S. Census metropolitan statistical areas, while 8,448,188 (38.83%) reside in rural areas.  Of this 38.83%, 1,535,741 (18.1%) live in frontier counties (population density of less than 7 persons per square miles).  Overall the population density of the counties which comprise this region ranges from a high of 4965 psm. to .22 psm.  (U.S. Census, 2000)

 

Agriculture represents the largest industry in the region.  The 1997 Census of Agriculture reported a combined total of $65.1 billion dollars in annual sales of dairy, livestock and grain products. This represents 51% of the nation’s wheat sales ($3.6 billion), 48% of cattle and calve sales ($19.4 billion), more than 40% of the country’s sales of grain ($19.2 billion), corn ($7.9 billion) and pork products ($5.5 billion), approximately 37% of soybean sales ($5.7 billion), 10% of all equine sales ($101.7 million), 8% of dairy product sales ($1.6 billion), and 7% of poultry product sales ($1.6 billion). (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1997 Census of Agriculture, volume 1 Geographic Area Series, CD-ROM

 

Terrorist Targets and the Transportation Network

 

According to 2001 data from the U.S. Department of Energy, the 10 state study region is a net exporter of electrical power.  With states in this region located in 5 of the 10 U.S. power grids (Western Systems Coordinating Council, Mid-America Interconnected Network, Southwest Power Pool, Mid-Continent Area Power Pool, and Southeastern Electric Reliability Council), 9 of the 10 states in this area produce more energy than they consume. Major exporters of electric power in the region based on annual production versus annual consumption include Wyoming (31,827,436 MwH), North Dakota (20,522,315 MwH), Montana (13,067,265 MwH), and Utah (12,636,443 MwH). The total net export for all 10 states in the region in 2001 was 101.9 million MwH.  For comparison, the state of California was a net importer of electric energy, consuming 37 million MwH more than it produced in 2001. (U.S. Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration, State Electricity Profiles 2001, http://www.energy.gov)

 

As of 1999, 12% of the nation’s electrical production came from nuclear power.  The study region is home to 5 nuclear powered electrical generating facilities, one non-power generating research reactor and one independent spent nuclear power fuel storage facility.  Seventeen of the nation’s twenty-three uranium milling facilities can be found within the region (four in-situ leach facilities and thirteen conventional milling facilities). (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections)

 

In 1999, 41% of the nation’s power came from coal fired power plants.  As of 1999, 43.45% of the nation’s total coal reserves were located in three of the regions states, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado.  Through the first three quarters of 2003, Wyoming accounted for 34.9% of the nation’s coal production.  Over ninety-one percent of the coal produced in Wyoming was shipped to other states and countries.  91.5% of Wyoming coal was shipped via rail, 4.7% by river, and 3% via tramway conveyor and slurry pipeline. (U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration/Annual Energy Review 1999).

 

Eight of the ten states in the region are producers of fuel grade ethanol.   Of the eighty-nine facilities in the nation, fifty-one facilities are located in this area.  Their current or proposed production of 963 million gallons per year represents roughly 33% of the nation’s capacity.  Of the 51 plants, forty-seven use grain (corn, corn-milo-wheat starch, and corn barley) as the basis of their production process. (Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Office of Renewable Fuels and Co-Products, 2003.  http://www.distillersgrains.com/plantlisting.htm )  In addition, there are twenty large-scale traditional petroleum production facilities located across seven of the regions states (Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming ).  (Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Annual 2002, Volume 1).

 

The region has an extensive transportation network including rail, highways, air and river.   Fourteen percent (19,774 miles) of the nation’s rail network (143,361 miles) is located within the region.  This network accounts for 28% (540,059,728) the nation’s annual tonnage (1,898,840,100).  This includes Wyoming, which ranks number one in the nation, with an originating tonnage of 375,510,739 tons.  (Association of American Railroads.  (2001). Association of American Railroads Analysis of the STB’s 2001 Carload Waybill Sample.  http://www.aar.org/PubCommon/Documents/AboutTheIndustry/RRState_Rankings.pdf.) 

 

Public air transportation in the area is serviced by 319 public airports, including eleven international airports located in Iowa, North Dakota, Montana, Missouri, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. (U.S.  Department of Transportation, TranStats, Aviation Support Tables, 2003.  www.transtats.bts.gov/Databases.asp)

 

The area contains 32,664 miles of the National Highway System.  Within the region, this is comprised of 8,558 miles of the Eisenhower Interstate System, 1,685 miles of the Congressional High Priority Corridor and 10,084 miles of the Strategic Highway Network.  STRAHNET is a network of highways which are important to the United States ’ strategic defense policy and which provide defense access, continuity and emergency capabilities for defense purposes. (U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2001 NHS State and Component Mileage.  http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep10/nhs).

 

With such high percentages of the nation’s agriculture and energy infrastructure and output combined with such an extensive transportation network, it is not surprising that this region is a large source of hazardous materials transportation in addition to a source for the intentional or accidental transport of viral agents.  Forty-three percent of hazardous material tonnage and 94% of individual shipments are transported by truck, using the nations interstates with few routing restrictions (Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, 1998).  Furthermore, 1 in 10 motor vehicles is engaged in the transport of hazardous materials (State Emergency Management Agency, 1998).  The major Interstates 15, 25, 29, 35, 44, 70, 80, 90, 94, 380 in addition to branch Interstates traverse the northern plains region.  The Office of Hazardous Materials Safety states that 1,200,000 movements of hazardous materials occurs each day, resulting in a tremendous flow of hazardous material traveling through states that host major interstates (Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, 1998).  Also notable is the fact that the trucking of hazardous materials has been identified as a potential vehicle and/or target for terrorism (American Trucking Association, 2002).  In addition to trucks, river barges are frequently used to ship hazardous materials and are also a vital mode of commodities transport in the region.  The Army Corp of Engineers states that 9,000 tons of petroleum products and over 200,000 tons of chemicals alone are moved on the Missouri River between Omaha and Kansas City by barge (State Emergency Management Agency, 1998).

 

According to a report by the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety, the production and storage of hazardous chemicals and materials, such as anhydrous ammonia and nitrogen based fertilizers, by plants in the region also adds to the transportation of hazardous materials.  Transport from production states by truck or rail to states using or storing such products results in additional hazardous materials mileage for states in the region.