Washington, DC - As our nation’s infrastructure ages, the evidence of the decline is obvious, and more importantly, the effect is felt on a daily basis. That’s why it is easy for governors operating in a bipartisan way to stand together on matters of infrastructure investment. As the elected leaders of Louisiana and Mississippi — two small, rural states — we are pleased and thankful President Donald Trump has started a national conversation on infrastructure with his proposal. We believe infrastructure is a critical factor to the economic success of our states, and if implemented properly, it will not only create jobs, but bring value to our citizens and build communities unlike this country has seen in decades. As such, there are at least three points worth mentioning:
1. The investment in our infrastructure is long overdue and will translate to growing the economy.
2. Investing in rural communities with local decision-making is good for the nation; however, any match greater than the current 80-20 split will be difficult for most rural communities to provide.
3. A common-sense approach to implementing governmental processes saves time and allows for more money to be invested in infrastructure.
Our states are connected at nearly 20 locations, five of them being major routes of commerce and connectivity. Southern rural states such as Louisiana and Mississippi are connected to larger regions of the national economy by the Interstate 10 and Interstate 20 corridors crossing the Mississippi River. The interstates and the river are essential for multimodal commerce beyond the limits of our states. In fact, we consider I-10 to be the front porch to the Gulf of Mexico and ultimately the world as it leads to two of the world’s largest ports. Our states’ and the nation’s economy stand to benefit from improved preservation of highways and a strategic focus on expanding capacity of our interstate system. The president’s commitment to investing $1.5 trillion is refreshing and welcome news to the congested corridors in Mississippi and Louisiana.
The rural network we share is essential for commerce because it connects the farm-to-market economies of the Gulf South with other macro economies through the vast port systems on our respective shores. This connectivity is solidified through roads, rails, runways and rivers, all of which are critical to our individual and collective success. The president’s infrastructure proposal validates the struggles governors, mayors and local business and industrial leaders are facing in rural communities in our states. This plan demonstrates a commitment to improving rural infrastructure through a block grant process that prioritizes community needs while engaging local leaders. A large percentage of rural state highways in this region serves as the backbone of an agriculture network that fuels and feeds the world. From timber to mining natural resources, including oil and natural gas production and recreational activities, the citizens of this nation depend on this region to maintain their lifestyle.
With such a large rural system, a majority of our state’s preservation budget is allocated to rural roads and bridges. Over the past five years in Louisiana, 54 percent of the capital preservation budget has been used for rural roads, with 46 percent allocated for urban roads. In Mississippi, typically 55 percent of the DOT’s capital preservation budget is expended on rural roads and bridges.
Since 2012, more than 25 states have addressed their funding issues by modernizing their gas tax structure or rates, and for various reasons, our states have not followed that path; thus, we are dependent on federal support. We work hard to maximize the spending potential of the dollars our citizens entrust to their state governments. There are no shortages of examples where an accelerated and streamlined environmental permitting process would result in moving a project from concept to construction in a more efficient and expedited fashion. Therefore, we see value in accelerating the environmental process such that we spend less of our dollars on process and more on actually building and repairing infrastructure our citizens can use in their daily lives. Mississippi and Louisiana take pride in our natural riches and will always protect our environment, but we agree a common-sense approach to decision-making is better for the public and the bottom line.
The president’s infrastructure plan is not perfect, nor will it solve all of the nation’s infrastructure needs, but if acted on by Congress, it promises to restore confidence in our nation’s infrastructure, shores up our global competitiveness, and create jobs, while strengthening the economy for both rural and urban communities.
John Bel Edwards is governor of Louisiana. Phil Bryant is governor of Mississippi.
