ST. LOUIS, Nov. 2, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Citing a crumbling river infrastructure, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is rallying its members to push for an override of President George W. Bush's veto today of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The measure authorizes the construction of seven locks on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers.
"Members of the National Corn Growers Association do not plan to take the president's veto lightly," said Ron Litterer, president of the NCGA. "We are rallying our 32,000 members and will wage an all-out grassroots campaign to override the veto. WRDA is absolutely crucial to farmers who depend on the inland waterway system to deliver their crops to the global marketplace and to businesses who rely on the system to move their raw materials and products. As it stands, our infrastructure cannot keep pace with the current demands and is falling apart."
NCGA issued an Action Alert to its grower members encouraging them to write and call their representatives and senators asking them to override the president's veto. Information is available on the NCGA home page at www.NCGA.com.
WRDA has strong congressional support in the House and Senate. The House is expected to move to override the veto early next week, followed by the Senate on Wednesday. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
The National Corn Growers Association's mission is to create and increase opportunities for corn growers. NCGA represents more than 32,000 members and 48 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.