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Wieland calls on Nixon to release port funds

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Flanked by House and Senate lawmakers, Sen. Paul Wieland publicly called on Gov. Jay Nixon to release $3 million in FY 2015 withheld funds for Missouri’s river ports.

“Considering the commerce that our ports enable, it’s not surprising to see these leaders from across the state requesting the release of these funds,” Wieland told reporters. “Missouri’s port authorities have historically been very efficient at leveraging state and local funds to draw investment by private industry.”

Since 2011, private industry invested roughly $55 million in Missouri ports versus just $3.6 million from the state. The ports have a wide variety of needs, Wieland said, from basic repairs to infrastructure improvements. Wieland, a Republican freshman and former House member who now represents Jefferson County in the Senate, touted both the economic and even environmentally positive impact of investing in more trade on Missouri’s waterways.

“Considering that one barge tow takes 870 semi-trucks off the road, I think that investing in our state’s ports could go a long way toward reducing wear and tear on our highways and bridges,” Wieland said.

Barges also release far less carbon emissions, according to information distributed by Wieland’s office. The Senator also noted the coming completion of the Panama Canal expansion in 2016, which he said would greatly reduce shipping costs to and from the Gulf of Mexico and putting Missouri in a prime position for growth. Wieland likened expanding ports at this time to Chicago’s historic investment in railroads over water travel.

Nixon withheld the funds along with a series of line items last year when revenue collections dipped below estimates that guide state appropriations. As revenue has picked back up, lawmakers across the state are looking for Nixon to release funds.

Nixon’s office didn’t immediately confirm whether or not he’d received the letter, which eight of his fellow senators signed. Nixon’s office issued the following written statement.

“The Governor understands the importance of transportation infrastructure to our economy, and the state has provided more than $3.1 million in capital improvement funding for ports over the last two years. That being said, the Governor has a responsibility to ensure that Missouri’s budget is balanced and that the state lives within its means. Because the budget passed by the General Assembly for the current fiscal year was several hundred million dollars out of balance, it was necessary for Gov. Nixon to veto some spending items and restrict spending in other areas. Balancing budgets often requires making difficult – but financially necessary – decisions, because the state cannot spend money it doesn’t have.”