River mayors meet in Baton Rouge to share common issues

Crystal Flintrop Sep 18, 2024 Updated Sep 18, 2024

BATON ROUGE, LA (WXOW) -- The mayors of cities along the Mississippi River gather to discuss shared problems and solutions.

The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI) is in Baton Rouge for the 13th annual meeting. 

During a news conference at their annual meeting, they highlighted some of the challenges river communities are facing. From droughts to freshwater access-issues that these mayors say need a permanent solution. 

It was also a time to highlight successes and a new partnership. 

"We never had a relationship between the ports of the Upper Mississippi River and the ports of the Lower Mississippi River and that has changed," Corn Belt Ports Executive Coordinating Director Robert Sinkler said. "This week, a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement is being signed by the chairs of the Corn Belt Ports and also the five ports on the Mississippi River in Louisiana."

These mayors, including La Crosse Mayor Mitch Reynolds who is one of the co-chairs of the group, took the chance to urge the next president of the United States for continued and increased focus on the Mississippi River. 

"Please work with us to enact a Federal Mississippi River program through which we can deploy infrastructure spending at a multi-state scale. Many of the nation’s important ecological assets have their own programs such as the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Columbia River, Missouri River, and Gulf of Mexico." Brooklyn Park, MN Mayor Hollies Winston said. "The Mississippi River, however, has only a disparate smattering of programs and projects that only cover portions of the Corridor."

He continued on to say, any asset that provides the nation 1.5 million jobs and $500 billion in revenue, like the Mississippi River, should have protection.