|
 On
August 25 the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee filed the officially
reported Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2004 (S.
2773) which will authorize all water-related projects, such as flood control
and navigation, scheduled for construction by the Army Corps of Engineers over
the next two years.
The
National Grange is pleased the Senate EPW Committee approved a WRDA bill and asks
for the Senate's immediate vote on the bill. Our waterways are the backbone of
our transportation system and the locks, dams, and ports are tremendously important
to the movement of agricultural commodities. One-third
of U.S. agricultural production is exported, and 60 percent of those exports -
including more than 2.5 billion bushels of corn and soybeans - transit the Upper
Mississippi-Illinois River system each year. The WRDA bill would double the size
of locks on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and build seven new locks
on the rivers and provide $1.46 billion for ecosystem restoration in the basin.
It will also provide significant flood controls, storm damage, port improvements
and other priorities important to communities throughout the nation.
The National Grange has co-worked with the National Waterways Alliance in urging
the Senate to pass the WRDA and recently signed on a joint letter co-sponsored
by 162 other agricultural, waterways and trade organizations. The National Grange's
policy statement on this issue is as follows: The
National Grange urges both Congress and the President to make the necessary funds
available in order to complete all planned and feasible federal water development
projects and provide cost share assistance for the rehabilitation of dams and
other flood control structures that were previously constructed with federal assistance.
The Senate EPW Committee staff has indicated that the Senate would like to consider
the WRDA bill on the floor after the Senate returns from its annual August recess
on September 7, 2004. So your immediate action is critical! PLEASE
CONTACT YOUR TWO SENATORS TODAY TO URGE THEM TO
SCHEDULE THE WATER RESOURCES
DEVELOPMENT ACT (S. 2773)
FOR A FLOOR VOTE IMMEDIATELY AND VOTE FOR IT! Contact
List of U.S. Senators
| Sample
Letter: |
Dear
Sen._________: I
am writing to urge you to move expeditiously to pass the Water Resources Development
Act of 2004. The legislation will ensure programs protecting our nation from floods
and keeping our waterways open to navigation. The waterways improvement programs
will especially help enhance agricultural productivity. Our water resources system
is vital to the nation's well being. Further delays in authorizing projects and
in clarifying important Corps of Engineers policies will add unnecessarily to
the cost of projects and defer much-needed transportation cost savings, job creation
and economic development in communities across the country. Now is the time for
a Water Resources Development Act of 2004 that is supportive of the mutual goals
of moving our nation forward and providing an economically and environmentally
sustainable roadmap for the future. Sincerely, (Signature)
(Name)__________________________ (Grange/Grange
name and number) __________________________ |
|
For
more information:
MSNBC
news: Is the Mississippi near breaking point? If
you have any questions or comments please contact Legislative Research Analyst
Chil-Sook Hwang by fax: 202-347-1091
or by phone: 1-888-4GRANGE, ext 109. Thank
you for your grassroots participation in the National Grange Legislative program.
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