Flaggs, Warren County officials in D.C. this week
Published 6:48 pm Monday, March 5, 2018
Mayor George Flaggs Jr. will be attending the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative Annual Capitol Conference when it meets Tuesday in Washington, D.C., according to information from the mayor’s office.
The MRCTI is an organization of mayors of cities along the Mississippi River whose purpose is to protect, develop, and enhance the natural attributes and economic vitality of the main stem of the Mississippi River.
Flaggs is in Washington as a member of a group of Warren County officials and business and community leaders making its annual trip to visit with the state’s congressional delegation.
The MRCTI conference will meet with members of Congress, the Trump administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discuss issues affecting the Mississippi. Conference members will also attend seminars focused on the sustainability of the Mississippi River.
“We’ve got mayors representing cities from 10 states coming in,” Flaggs said. “We’re looking how we can lobby Congress and sustain the most important resource we have in our country, and that’s the Mississippi River.”
He said the conference plans to meet with members of Congress to get increased funding for capital improvements for cities along the river and increased support for shipping on the Mississippi.
“The Mississippi River transports 40 percent of the nation’s total agricultural output. That’s $12 to $47 billion in benefits to the local economies. That’s why it’s so important,” he said.
“And the president’s infrastructure bill includes for the first time funding for rivers and ports. That’s encouraging to us.”