U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher has joined with five other members of Congress to form a bipartisan Mississippi River Caucus.
The six co-chairmen of the caucus represent six states along the meandering Mississippi River — Tennessee, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri and Iowa.
The primary objective of the Mississippi River Caucus is to provide a bicameral and bipartisan open forum for the various issues that affect the entire reach of the Mississippi River, a news release from Fincher’s office states.
The caucus will focus on a strong sustainable economy and high quality of life for communities along the main stem of the Mississippi River. By sponsoring informational briefings for members of Congress and collaborating on legislative goals, the Mississippi River Caucus will support commerce, flood mitigation, protection and restoration along the Mississippi River.
“The Mississippi River flows through the heart of our nation and is a vital economic engine for the farmers and industry that rely on it to ship goods. I am excited to be a part of the leadership team in Congress working to ensure the communities along the main stem of the Mississippi River can continue providing good jobs and the harbors are able to support strong commerce,” Fincher said.
“The Mississippi River is the lifeline farm families and business owners in my Arkansas district rely on for commerce. The bipartisan, bicameral Mississippi River Caucus will be a united voice for the communities along the river and the challenges they face. I look forward to working with other members of the caucus to keep our ports open and goods moving up and down the river,” Arkansas Congressman Rick Crawford stated.
“The Mississippi River is a vital artery of commerce for hundreds of millions of tons of agriculture goods and other products that are important to our national economy. We must work to maintain the river channel, which has a critical impact on jobs, income to many businesses and farmers, and the economy of the region as a whole. This bipartisan caucus will provide a platform to bring together those states along the Mississippi River so that we can encourage navigation, promote commerce and prevent destructive floods,” U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri said.
The Mississippi River is the third longest river in the United States, stretching 2,320 miles through the heart of the nation from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico,” according to the news release. The river is a thriving economic thoroughfare in the United States with billions of tons of cargo being transported up and down the river each year, including grain and other agriculture products, coal, iron, steel and petroleum products.

Published in The Messenger 2.15.13