Mississippi River mayors agree to unify ports from the Corn Belt to the coast

A freight ship heads south on the Mississippi River in southern Louisiana in June, 2024. Aerial support provided by SouthWings.
(Tegan Wendland/Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk)

Mayors from 10 states along the Mississippi River convened in Louisiana’s capital this week to announce a cooperative agreement among the working river’s ports. 

In town for the annual Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative (MRCTI) meeting, the mayors also called upon the next U.S. President to prioritize several federal policy changes to support the 105 cities represented by the initiative. 

On Wednesday, mayors from the Midwestern Corn Belt joined mayors from Louisiana to sign the Mississippi River Ports Cooperative Endeavor Agreement. The agreement is the first to ensure cooperation between the inland ports in the heart of the corn belt and the coastal ports of Louisiana that export 60% of the nation’s agricultural products.

The inland ports between St. Louis and St. Paul were not federally recognized until 2022, said Robert Sinkler, executive coordinating director of the Corn Belt Ports. With the support of MRCTI, the Corn Belt Ports initiative launched in 2019 to advocate for federal recognition of those ports.

Now, the corn belt and coastal ports will take on commerce-related policy actions together, for the first time in Mississippi River history, said Sinkler. The river moves nearly one trillion dollars in product through its ports annually, according to MRCTI. Maintaining the navigation capability on the river is a key part of the agreement. 

Drought disrupts commerce, drinking water

For the third year in a row, the Midwest is under extreme drought conditions, which have led to low water levels that threaten to disrupt barge transports carrying fuel and grain. The 16-month drought spanning from 2022 to 2023 cost the nation $26 billion. The drought of 2012 cost the Mississippi River corridor $35 billion.

Belinda Constant, mayor of Gretna, Louisiana, said that droughts often cost more than floods, but do not qualify as “major disasters” worthy of relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

“We still are not able to capture federal disaster declarations for drought or intense heat,” Constant said. 

While drought is not considered a “major disaster” by FEMA, the president can declare one. President Joe Biden declared a federal emergency last September in Louisiana when the effects of drought caused salt water to intrude up the Mississippi River and threaten drinking water.

FEMA is not set up to provide relief for intense droughts or extreme heat, which are expected to become more extreme, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment. The federal government does offer support through other agencies, such as farm losses through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Constant asked the next U.S. President to update FEMA regulations to include droughts and extreme heat. Earlier this summer, dozens of labor and environmental groups filed a petition to push FEMA to declare extreme heat and wildfire smoke as “major disasters,” on par with other natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes. 

Constant said the next administration should also create a mechanism to incentivize or compensate manufacturers and farmers who recycle water or reduce water usage during dry periods. 

Louisiana is again dealing with drought. As of Sept. 13, 2024, the saltwater wedge had reached river mile 45, corroding drinking water infrastructure below Port Sulphur and inching toward Pointe a la Hache, Louisiana. Earlier this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began construction on an underwater sill near Myrtle Grove to help slow the creep of saltwater intrusion for the third summer in a row. 

But the drought impacts all communities along the Mississippi River, not just those in southern Louisiana. And 50 cities with a total population of 20 million people depend on the Mississippi River for their drinking water.

“Memphis depends on the health of the corridor to power our international port and fuel our multi-billion-dollar outdoor recreation and tourism industry,” said Paul Young, mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. The tournament fishing industry is worth billions in revenue. 

“It is vital we work to safeguard the Mississippi River together,” he added.

The Southern University ROTC Color Guard and “Human Jukebox” marching band perform for guests at the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative annual conference on Sept. 17, 2024. (Elise Plunk/Louisiana Illuminator)

Advocating for the Mississippi River corridor as a whole

The 105 cities represented by MRCTI also called on the next U.S. president to advocate for the corridor both at home and internationally. “We are asking the next president to please work with us to enact a federal Mississippi River program through which we can deploy infrastructure spending at a multi-state scale,” said Hollies J. Winston, mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. 

On the global stage, MRCTI has advocated for the Mississippi River corridor at five United Nations climate meetings. Bob Gallagher, mayor of Bettendorf, Iowa, called on the next President to ensure that the nation remains a part of the Paris Agreement to sustain the corridor’s $500 billion in revenue.

“Serving as a past co-chair of MRCTI along with being from an agricultural state, I know firsthand that U.S. participation in the Paris Accord helps us compete and move our commodities and goods across the world to other markets,” said Gallagher. 

Pulling out of the Paris Agreement could trigger tariffs for goods coming from a non-signatory nation. Leaving the international climate accord would place farmers and manufacturers at a potential disadvantage in the global market, said Gallagher.

In 2017, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. In 2021, on President Biden’s first day in office, the U.S. rejoined the international agreement to limit temperature increases.

“We can’t afford to make any policy decisions that will jeopardize the $164 billion in agricultural commodities the Mississippi River makes possible every year,” said Gallagher. 

Mitch Reynolds, mayor of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and MRCTI co-chair, said that the advocacy work of the initiative is paramount to defending the health of the river and its communities. 

The Mississippi River Ports Cooperative Endeavor Agreement unites the communities along the corridor in a shared commitment to protect, restore and manage the river’s resources sustainably, said Sharon Weston Broome, mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and host of the initiative’s 13th annual meeting.

“We urge the next administration to increase its focus on the river, its impact on the national economy and its continued need for stewardship,” said Broome.

This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation. MRCTI is also a Walton grantee.