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Loebsack : Flood Recovery $$$ Still Needed

Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA 2) says there is still work to do to make sure his state does not experience a repeat of the Flood of 2008.

It was four years ago, this month, when rivers throughout eastern Iowa overran their banks and caused billions of dollars in damage.

Some of the hardest hit areas were Iowa City and Cedar Rapids

Rep. Loebsack says there is still a need for money to help in the recovery.  He believes the funding is available in Washington D.C., if his colleagues can agree on how to divide it.

Rep. Loebsack also says Congress should work to modernize the locks and dams up and down the Mississippi River.

“It’s being talked about,” says the Congressman, “especially in the farm states.  It is something that is on the must-do list as far as I am concerned.”

Rep. Loebsack says Congress must also maintain the national flood insurance program.

He says local, state and federal agencies are working better, together, adding that they are more willing to share resources as needed during a disaster.

Rep. Loebsack says, looking back to 2008, he will remember the thousands of volunteers who showed up to help fill sandbags and dig out homes and small businesses.

“We remember the hero’s work of the emergency personnel who responded and ensured no lives were lost,” says the Congressman.  “We remember the work in the immediate aftermath to provide shelter and basic living supplies to those who lost everything.  We pause on this anniversary to remember the sense of community that was displayed in the time of need.”

 

WIND ENERGY

Rep. Loebsack says the public must play a role in the extension of a multi-billion dollar renewable energy incentive.

He says nothing specific is holding up the renewal of a wind energy production tax credit, which expires at the end of the calendar year.

The Congressman says it is just the partisan nature of Washington D-C.

He says there could be a few lawmakers who are concerned about the cost, but he says it is mostly the political climate.

Rep. Loebsack used a recent visit to the Siemens wind turbine blade plant in Fort Madison to encourage employees to get involved in the process by writing letters to lawmakers throughout Washington D.C.

He does not expect any action on the tax credit until after the November election.

Jason Parrott is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.