ST. LOUIS, Sept. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and its affiliated state associations are one step closer to realizing the passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) with the House and Senate naming their conferees this week for the WRDA conference report.
WRDA is priority legislation for NCGA and its affiliated state organizations. The bill includes authorization for construction of seven 1,200 foot locks on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers, in addition to greatly needed port upgrades, flood control projects, beach renourishment and extensive ecosystem restoration efforts.
With the conferees named, the two chambers can officially work out the differences between the House and Senate bills. Once agreements on the bills have been finalized, the House and Senate will vote on the final conference report. Upon passage of the conference report, it is then sent to President George W. Bush for his signature.
"We are very pleased the House and Senate have named their conferees, as the process of concluding legislation to upgrade our locks and dams and inland waterways is closer than ever before," said Gerald Tumbleson, NCGA president. "Our growers have done a tremendous amount of legwork in making sure their congressmen hear NCGA's call for this important piece of legislation."
NCGA has issued a legislative alert on its Web site www.ncga.com, urging growers to contact their members of congress and urge support of the bill.
The House conferees are: Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Edward Young (R-Alaska) and Ranking Member James Oberstar (D-Minn.); Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas); Reps. Richard Baker (R-La.); Gary G. Miller (R-Calif.); Henry Brown (R-S.C.); John Boozman (R-Ark.); Jerry Costello (D-Ill.); Timothy H. Bishop (D-N.Y.); Richard Pombo (R-Calif.); Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.); and Ron Kind (D-Wis.).
The Senate conferees are: Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who will be chairing the conference; Kit Bond (R-Mo.); John Warner (R-Va.); George Voinovich (R-Ohio); Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.); Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska); David Vitter (R-La.); Jim Jeffords (D-Vt.); Max Baucus (D-Mont.); Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.); Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.); and Tom Carper (D-Del.).
The National Corn Growers Association's mission is to create and increase opportunities for corn growers. NCGA represents more than 32,000 members and 46 affiliated state organizations and hundreds of thousands of growers who contribute to state checkoff programs. For more information on NCGA, log on to www.ncga.com.