Rupp: Resolution to Provide Flood Control for Northeast Missouri Passed in Committee

Last week, on Tuesday, Feb. 22, Senate Concurrent Resolution 8 had a hearing in the Rules, Joint Rules, Resolutions and Ethics Committee, and has now passed in committee. With this passing vote, committee members recommend that SCR 8 moves to the full Senate for debate. This resolution, if passed, would urge U.S. Congress to support a proposal for the Upper Mississippi River Basin to provide flood control and prevention without causing unfavorable impacts on existing levees and communities. I’m glad this measure is moving through the legislative process, because I strongly oppose Plan H, which directly relates to flood control of the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

Plan H would allow all but 20 of the 140 levees along the upper part of the Mississippi River to be raised to the 500-year flood levels last seen in 1993. These 20 levees are located in Pike, Lincoln, and St. Charles counties. This is especially concerning to me, to have our area as the flood region for all of the upper Mississippi.

It makes absolutely no sense that these 20 levees are not included in Plan H. These three counties border the Mississippi River, and many communities received tremendous damage during the great flood of 1993. This type of flood is certainly capable of happening again, and those counties would be hit hard if their levees aren’t raised and improved. Families would be divided, jobs would be lost, and our whole region would suffer.

Many Missourians have protested Plan H, including the Missouri governor and our U.S. Congressman Todd Akin, and I am very thankful for their support.

Plan H, if implemented, could be responsible for devastating losses in Pike, Lincoln, and St. Charles counties when another severe flood happens. None of us want to see another “Flood of ’93,” and for the well-being of our area, I am anxious to see SCR 8 passed by the Legislature and sent to Congress.

As always, if you have any questions regarding this issue or any other matter within state government, please visit my website at www.senate.mo.gov/rupp. Here, you can also subscribe to my RSS feed on the main page of my website; it will keep you up to date on all my columns, press releases, and multimedia postings. Always feel free to e-mail me or call my office toll-free at (866) 271-2844.