WASHINGTON  -  U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) this morning testified before the Mississippi River Commission at the City Front in Caruthersville, MO.  Her comments focused on the importance of flood protection projects along the river, as well as the importance of port authorities, locks and dams to river management.

 

Heading up the Mississippi River Commission is Brigadier General Don T. Riley of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 

Emerson singled out the contributions of Missouri Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent on river infrastructure improvements.  She also asked those present to remember the dedication of longtime advocate for the Mississippi River Jim Robinson, who passed away two weeks ago.

 

The text of Emerson’s testimony follows:

 

 First, General Riley, I want to welcome you and the members of the Mississippi River
Commission and thank you for holding this hearing in my Congressional District.  Many times governmental bureaucracies fail to listen to the people their policies affect most.  And in many cases, by not listening, the rules, regulations and projects hurt rather than help those very individuals they are trying to serve.  By holding hearings such as this one, you and the Commission can hear and see first hand what the needs of the valley are.

 

 My comments today are more a thank you to this Commission, the Corps and the Levee, Drainage and Port Authority Boards rather than a request for additional action.  However, I will also submit a list of concerns for the record and ask that you at Division and the District level keep me informed of progress on these efforts.

 

 First, I want to thank you and the Commission along with the Division and the District staff for the outstanding work on the St. John’s New Madrid Floodway Project.  Last October 10th was a wonderful day in the history of our area.  The hundreds and thousands of families that will benefit from this completed project thank you as well.  For many, this vital flood protection has been way too long in coming to this point.  Both Corps and local interests have worked diligently for over 50 years, and many who worked so hard have not lived to see this project completed.

 

 One of those hard-working individuals who dedicated thousands of hours to the cause –  and who unfortunately passed away 10 days ago – is Jim Robinson from Pinhook.  Jim made numerous trips to Washington and stated his simple message over and over again concerning closing the gap in the levee.  Jim put it plainly, time and time again.  When asked if he could say what needed to be done in his simple terms he would answer emphatically, “Just put some mud in that hole”. 

 

 I want to take this moment to thank Jim Robinson for those simple but most important words:  “just put some mud in that hole.”  Those words were easy to say, but it has taken 50 years just to get to this point.  With the signing of the Record of Decision and, soon, the first contract bidding, my hope is that the work of Jim Robinson and dozens like him will soon bear the fruit of a completed levee and pumping stations.  I urge the Commission and the Corps to “stay the course” and see this project through to completion.  In fact, I would like for anyone in this room, including Corps and individuals who have worked, testified or supported this project to please stand.....Thank you for your help and support and together  – let’s put a little mud in that hole.

 

 The challenges of the future in the Valley are immense.  I for one, along with my colleagues from both parties, am prepared to work together with local interests to get the funding necessary to achieve our goals.  I want everyone to know that I plan to ask for more dollars for flood protection and navigation than have been proposed in the President’s Budget.  Financial times are tough and that means doing more with less.  But protecting people and property from floods is a critical component of our role as a Federal Government.  Providing for good ports and safe, efficient locks and dams is important to our improvement as an economy and survival as a region.  Protecting our infrastructure from attacks and disruptions must be a top priority not just on the coasts but on our inland waterways as well.

 

 Before closing, I also want to thank Senators Kit Bond and Jim Talent for their work on behalf of our river and port issues.  Time and time again they have assisted this region of Missouri and the entire Mississippi and Missouri Valleys when it would have been easier not to fight the battles.  My colleagues in the House:  Tennessee Representative John Tanner and Arkansas Representative Marion Berry, Congressmen Shimkus and Costello in Illinois, and Ed Whitfield in Kentucky are stalwarts in our desire to help our people.  Together we put partisan politics aside and put people first.  And that should
continue to be our goal and the goal of the Corps and this Commission.  Put people first - by building better flood protection, port authorities and locks and dams - when we do this together, we win as communities, states and indeed the entire nation.