Mayors from nearly a dozen states along the Mississippi River convened in Baton Rouge this week to announce a cooperative agreement among the working river’s ports, Louisiana Illuminator reports.
As part of their annual Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative 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.
Mayors from the Midwestern corn belt joined mayors from Louisiana to sign the Mississippi River Ports Cooperative Endeavor Agreement—the first agreement 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.
Now, the corn belt and coastal ports will take on commerce-related policy actions together for the first time in Mississippi River history, says Robert Sinkler, executive coordinating director of Corn Belt Ports. The river moves nearly $1 trillion in product through its ports annually, according to MRCTI. Maintaining the navigation capability on the river is a key part of the agreement.
