Kinder attending conference of Mississippi River city mayors

Cape Girardeau Mayor Stacy Kinder is attending a conference of mayors along the Mississippi River this week in Washington D.C. to lobby for national support for resources to help with the impact of the drought on the region.

The conference is hosted by the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, a collaborative group made up of more than 100 municipalities, including Cape Girardeau.

"Our area of the Mississippi has had some of the driest conditions in the Mississippi River corridor with extreme-drought cover the three-corners region of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky," Kinder said in a news release on the conference. "Agriculture is a significant portion of our economy. The Mississippi River moves over $164 billion in agriculture exports annually. This drought is affecting 40% of that revenue at one of the most important times of the year."

Gov. Mike Parson extended the state's drought alert, in the last week of November, until Wednesday, March 1. The majority of Cape Girardeau County has been classified as in a period of "severe drought."

The lack of rainfall and low waterway levels have forced barges to light-load in order to navigate the river, meaning an increase in shipping cost and a decrease in products making it to market.

In the city of Cape Girardeau, the drought has contributed to numerous water main breaks, one of which placed the city under a boil advisory for five days.

While in the nation's capital, Kinder and others will meet with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Council on Environmental Quality and the Army Corps of Engineers, among others.

Kinder said she would be sharing Cape Girardeau's experience and "hope to see" the city considered for disaster relief.

"As an MRCTI member city, our local policy priorities remain independent as we learn from each other and find common goals," Kinder said. "We're open to bringing back our federal dollars in ways to support local infrastructure and industry."