Letter to Barack Obama, President of the United States of America - National Infrastructure

Letter

U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL), Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to include levees and water infrastructure improvements in efforts to improve the nation's infrastructure. Noting the President's recent emphasis on infrastructure development as a key component in economic growth, they reinforced the need to include repairing and improving America's levees as a part of this process. The four legislators held a Southern Illinois levee summit in December, and are continuing to work with the Delta Regional Authority, local levee districts and state officials to address these issues in a comprehensive way.

"We have been working for years on improving our nation's levees -- this is a $100 billion national problem, and it needs to be addressed in a bipartisan way," said Costello. "In our area and across the nation, we are dealing with communities that need assistance with levee maintenance and flood protection. For that reason, we are continuing to urge President Obama to include a strong federal commitment to our levees as we move forward with efforts to invest in our nation's infrastructure."

"The Illinois delegation has a long history of working across the aisle to make sure the backbone of our infrastructure is upgraded and protected," said Durbin. "Improving the levees in Illinois and across the country will help save lives and keep property safe from floods. This should remain a national priority."

"Levees are no less vital to our national infrastructure than roads and rails," said Kirk. "I particularly worry about our ability to protect from floods and maintaining the jobs that depend on riverways. In Illinois, Granite City's Lock 27 alone sees more than 70 million tons of traffic annually through its gates. If we are serious about a national dialogue on infrastructure, we must include our waterways in the discussion."

"Levee repairs are vital to our nation's river infrastructure," said Shimkus. "For the protection of our communities, levee repair should be a national priority of the President."

February 15, 2011

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama:

We are writing to express our support for including levees and water infrastructure improvements in efforts to improve our nation's infrastructure. Your State of the Union address emphasized the importance of a dependable, modern and efficient transportation network for fostering economic growth now and in the future. We agree, and believe that repairing and improving the nation's levees must be a part of this process.

Protecting our communities from floods is a bipartisan issue, and we are working together in Illinois to address the substantial levee repair and maintenance needs our state faces. This is a nationwide problem, and the economic downturn has left states, local governments, and levee districts in need of assistance in undertaking this work.

Hence, we believe a strong federal commitment to our levees should be an integral part of our infrastructure improvement efforts. We appreciate your attention to these issues, and look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Jerry F. Costello
Member of Congress

Richard J. Durbin
U.S. Senator

Mark Kirk
U.S. Senator
John M. Shimkus
Member of Congress