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Missouri governor says canal expansion should be exploited

Missouri Governor Mike Parson spoke at the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Banquet Saturday evening.

Missouri’s governor says the Panama Canal expansion is an opportunity to make greater use of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers for shipping agriculture products. Governor Mike Parson told Missouri cattlemen Saturday the two-and-a-half-year-old expansion, which doubled the canal’s capacity, can give an edge to Missouri farmers.

“No matter what part of the state you’re in in agriculture, that’s going to play a huge role of how we get our products out of the state, and the opportunities we’re going to have for that,” said Parson, in a speech during the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association convention Saturday. “I think that’s definitely an area that we have to focus on.”

But Parson says other shipping infrastructure segments within the state need attention. He says alternatives must be found for state transportation funding, adding that November was not the first time Missouri voters have rejected a tax increase that would provide money to maintain roads.

“The problem does not go away,” said Parson, specifically addressing Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe and state lawmakers who were present at the event. “We have to figure out a way to be able to meet the demands of the future for this state.”

A proposal to increase Missouri’s gas tax failed in the last election.

An estimated 700 people attended Saturday evening’s sold-out banquet in Columbia.


AUDIO: Mike Parson speech to Missouri Cattlemen’s Association (22 min. MP3)

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