Investing in Sound Infrastructure

Press Release

October marks the middle of harvest season for crops like corn, soybeans, and sorghum here in Nebraska. This process, the culmination of many months of work, also highlights how we rely on infrastructure for irrigation, transportation, and bringing products to market. Infrastructure has a hand in just about everything we do, including making agriculture more efficient. By prioritizing rural infrastructure, we lay a foundation for national economic growth.

While there is much work to be done, I am grateful for the improvements made to federal regulatory policy by the Trump administration. In many cases this meant taking a look at existing regulations, determining which ones are harmful, and fixing or eliminating them. The Waters of the United States (WOTUS) is a perfect example. This arbitrary, misguided Obama-era regulation gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) power over virtually all water flows -- even on private land. This regulation also directly contradicted the law; under the Clean Water Act non-navigable waters are regulated by the states. I led the effort in the House to fight WOTUS when it was forced on farmers, ranchers, and local communities by President Obama. I was grateful to see President Trump listen to ag producers and local officials when he reversed the WOTUS rule. However, there are still plenty more rules like WOTUS on the books which stand in the way of successful agriculture.

In addition to simplifying regulations, we must continue to invest in sound projects to improve our aging infrastructure system. In Nebraska, we know too well the vulnerability of our levees, especially on the Missouri River. In the last ten years alone, two historic floods have caused unimaginable damage to surrounding areas. In the House-passed Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), I secured language to assist communities like Peru, Nebraska, which were deemed ineligible for federal aid due to Army Corps of Engineers regulations, and also establish a study program to improve flood prevention on the Missouri River.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) also recognizes how maintaining and improving Nebraska infrastructure is beneficial to our nation as a whole. In the past year, Nebraska has received significant grants for the water system in Crawford, flood resistance in Jefferson County, and stormwater infrastructure improvements in Valentine among others. Investments such as these improve not only the local areas, but our great state as a whole.

Infrastructure should be an area for strong bipartisan agreement. Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi brought to the House floor in July a partisan package which was focused far more on regulating the environment and labor markets than freeing funds to more efficiently upgrade our infrastructure.

Our jobs, state's economy, and daily lives all rely on sound infrastructure. I will continue to look for opportunities to invest in our state, ease the burdens of regulations, and fight for agriculture to be included in any larger package.

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