President's Transportation Plan Doesn't Include Agriculture
Without proper infrastructure export goals can't be met.
Compiled by staff
Published: Oct 15, 2010
President Barack Obama announced a $50 billion plan to fix the nation's aging transportation system, including roads, bridges and rail lines earlier this week. However, the proposal does not include agricultural infrastructure.
Mike Steenhoek with the Soy Transportation Coalition says the nation's rural roads, rail shipping and barge system are all in dire need of updating.
"We continue to maintain the band-aid approach to infrastructure," Steenhoek said. "That is certainly a negative implication to our overall economy and in particular our agricultural economy."
Steenhoek says they continue to be frustrated that the Water Resources Development Act hasn't been funded to make lock and dam improvements on the upper Mississippi River. And he says the political will to move the Highway Bill won't exist until next year either.
"We had a WRDA hearing scheduled that has been deferred until the lame duck session and I see that actually deferred further, at least in the decisions that need to be made until next year," Steenhoek said. "We have a service transportation bill, commonly referred to as the Highway Bill, that's scheduled to sunset on Dec. 31 of this year that will be revisited next year. So a lot of these major issues that need to be addressed are just being deferred."
Without making agricultural infrastructure a priority Steenhoek says there is no way for the President to reach his goal of doubling exports and creating more jobs.
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