The new study of the Missouri River authorized by Congress creates an opportunity for common sense finally to prevail over special interest politics.

It's been clear for decades that current management of the Missouri River for the benefit of shipping wastes taxpayer money.

The river ought to be managed for the benefit of recreation and wildlife. The U.S. Corps of Engineers estimated more than 10 years ago that the economic benefit from recreation on the river and its lakes was more than 10 times the benefit of shipping.

Adding momentum to the push for a new management philosophy on the river is a new analysis by the Government Accountability Office that shows long haul barge shipping of grain and fertilizer has all but disappeared from the river.

Nearly all the remaining traffic involves travel of fewer than 10 miles by barges carrying sand and gravel from dredging operations to processing sites on land.

The study showed that Nebraska barge shipping peaked in 1994 at 617,813 tons. By 2005, it had dropped to zero. From 1994 to 2006, Nebraska accounted for just 3 percent of shipping.

"For the Corps of Engineers to release critically needed water in the upstream dams to support a barge industry that's largely moving sand and gravel just a few miles is ridiculous," Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said.

Nebraska does not have the large reservoirs like Lake Oahe and Lake Sakakawea that bring economic benefit to North and South Dakota. But, as shown by the crowds drawn to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge between Omaha and Council Bluffs, the Missouri River has the ability to attract visitors. More can be done to return the river to a more natural state, remedying the channelization that turned the river into a steep-sided ditch.

Continued work to restore river habitat, such as that exemplified by the Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge east of Fort Calhoun and the Gilmour Wildlife Management Area near Plattsmouth, will open additional opportunities for Nebraska.

Previous efforts to alter the way the Missouri River is managed have met with limited success, largely because Missouri's congressional delegation has been able to use its political leverage to maximum effect.

Missouri's delegation was unable to derail this effort, however. The new five-year study was signed into law last month by President Barack Obama.

A Corps of Engineers official said recently the new study is believed to be the first time the corps has re-examined the authorized purposes of a project. In the case of the Missouri River, it's about time.