PUBLIC WORKS: EMERSON TO MAJOR SUBCOMMITTEES

WASHINGTON - Congressman Bill Emerson has been appointed to subcommittees of the Public Works and Transportation Committee that will deal with economic development, surface transportation and water resources.

Emerson said he is pleased with the subcommittee assignments because they will play a major role in shaping legislation that will have an impact on southern Missouri for many years to come.

The two most significant areas of legislation the sixth-term Cape Girardeau Republican will be involved with are reauthorization of the Federal Highway Act and reauthorization of the Clean Water Act.

"It was in anticipation of these two major legislative items occurring in this Congress that two terms ago I moved off the Interior Committee to public works and transportation because we do have these needs in Southern Missouri and I want to properly address them," explained Emerson.

"We are the infrastructure committee of the Congress," he added. "I'm one who maintains you have to have proper infrastructure to have the kind of economic development we all aspire to in Southeast Missouri and all other places around the country."

Important parts of that infrastructure in the 8th District are the port authorities along the Mississippi River, noted Emerson.

The Federal Highway Act expires in October and a new bill for the next five years will have to be passed.

"The entire interstate highway system, at least theoretically, is built," noted Emerson. "There may be some new interstate highways, but not a lot."

He was instrumental in securing funding for a feasibility study for a proposed east-west interstate known as I-66. If the study shows such an interstate is needed, funds could be included in the new highway bill and Emerson believes southern Missouri offers a natural corridor. The other sides of the district are already accessible by Interstates 55 and 44.

Emerson explained the committee will not decide whether to build another interstate like I-66, but will base that decision on instruments like feasibility studies.

Emerson is also hoping that the new formula for allocating highway funds in the new act will benefit Missouri and bring it a higher return of federal gas tax money.

Under the present formula, the distribution of funds is based largely on a state's land area, population, and the mileage of certain kinds of two lane roads. As a result, Missouri receives only about 85 cents in highway money for each $1 of tax revenue contributed to the highway trust fund.

A new formula being considered, would be based 70 percent on federal motor fuels tax collections in the state, 15 percent on land area, and 15 percent on highway mileage. That formula could result in Missouri's share growing from $250 million to as high as $550 million a year.

Reauthorization of the Clean Water Act will give Congress an opportunity to deal with a lot of wetlands issues that are of concern in Southeast Missouri, noted Emerson. Another key issue "is the sanctity of the water supply," which is a growing concern across the nation. Funding for waste water treatment plants will also be considered as part of the reauthorization.

The water resources subcommittee will also look at authorizing projects for the Corps of Engineers, including work along the river and the Cape LaCroix/Walker Creek flood control project in Cape Girardeau.

The subcommittee on economic development will deal with a lot of the issues coming out of the Mississippi Delta Commission report.

Emerson said he was pleased that President Bush, in his State of the Union address last week, placed an emphasis on the need to improve infrastructure in the nation.

Missouri has three members of Congress on the Public Works Committee and that could be an advantage when it comes to passing legislation this year, Emerson said. Also serving on the panel are Rep. Mel Hancock, R-Springfield, and Rep. Joan Kelly Horn, D-Ladue.

Across the river, Rep. Glenn Poshard, D-Carterville, is on the committee, and Rep. Jerry Costello, who has the district north of Poshard's and across from St. Louis, is also on the committee.

"It ought to be very helpful for us," Emerson observed. "But, the public works committee is one of the least partisan committees in Congress. We do work well together and realize the health of one region aids the health of the other.

"It is a wonderful committee to serve on and we have a lot of good cooperation. We have not specifically addressed in any regional way the interests we have, but that will naturally occur."