Floodway means jobs, area growth

By Kit Bond, Jim Talent and Jo Ann Emerson

The St. John's Bayou-New Madrid Floodway Project took a decisive step forward last week as Missouri officials, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, local sponsors and area residents joined for a milestone ceremony. This occasion marks a cooperative agreement that will take the project to the next level.

This is good news for Southeast Missouri. Initial construction for the project could begin within months, resulting in safety, jobs and economic growth for thousands of people in New Madrid, Scott and Mississippi counties.

For residents in these counties, flood protection is a necessity, not a luxury. This area of the Bootheel contains small towns, schools, vital infrastructure and wildlife of all kinds. We have all personally witnessed the Mississippi River at flood stage. The frequent flooding endangers people and wildlife, and stifles economic opportunity.

One element of the project would close a gap of 1,500 feet in the existing levee system, protecting approximately 100,000 acres of land that regularly floods. Last year, nearly 50,000 acres of crops were destroyed due to flooding. Our agricultural producers cannot afford to sustain these loses year after year, especially when this flooding is preventable in the first place.

The agreement is also a key victory over the extreme environmentalists who for years have attempted to delay and derail the project by thwarting the efforts of the Corps of Engineers and local citizens.

Environmental opponents argue there's an ecological cost to the project that is just too great. The exact opposite is true. The only concern environmentally is an alleged loss of wetlands. One of the conditions of the project is that over 8,000 acres of agricultural land will be returned to bottomland hardwoods and wetlands that will become a natural area for the public to enjoy for generations to come. Moreover, the levee district, the Corps of Engineers and other agencies have for years conducted study after study to make certain the project was beneficial to the environment.

A lawyer for the Environmental Defense Fund in New York recently attacked flood protection in Missouri, including the project. He told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he frequently hears complaints about "stupid new big things" in Missouri's floodplains. That's a unique way to describe jobs and growth resulting from flood protection efforts that save lives, property, ecological habitats, animals and transportation infrastructure. It also shows that many of the critics of development are just opposed to growth in general.

Flood protection in other areas of Missouri has resulted in significant economic growth. This growth has created thousands of jobs and annually delivers millions to the state and local government in property, sales and income tax revenue. Many of these areas are economically productive at a time when Missouri has lost more jobs in the last year than all eight surrounding states combined.

Within Missouri, the Mississippi Delta is one of the most distressed regions. Flood protection in this area would be a tangible benefit for real people - too great a benefit to be lightly dismissed.

We have urged people who oppose flood protection to remember that a strong environment and a strong economy are interdependent. Everything we want to do for the environment, education, health care and other priorities depends on economic prosperity. The government should support flood protection, especially when it protects the environment, vital infrastructure and helps create jobs.

There are enough pressing problems in Missouri without spending time and energy holding up a project that would benefit the economy and the environment at the same time.

The St. John's Bayou-New Madrid Floodway Project is a priority for us, as it was for the late congressman, Bill Emerson. As we celebrate this milestone with local residents, we are optimistic this agreement will finally allow the project to proceed without further delay. We are proud of all the hard work put in to this point, as well as the work yet to come, that will protect people, property and habitat from the devastation of floods.

Kit Bond and Jim Talent are Missouri's U.S. senators. Jo Ann Emerson represents Missouri's 8th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.