March 08, 2022

Duckworth Speaks with Illinois Farm Bureau, Highlights Benefits of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

 

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Illinois Farm Bureau members and leadership to discuss how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law can support our nation’s farmers and rural communities. During the video call, Duckworth and the group also emphasized that protecting our state’s waterways and incentivizing agricultural production for renewable fuels are critical components of supporting and growing Illinois’s agriculture industry.

“America has always depended on our nation’s farmers and ranchers to grow the food and fuel we need, and I’m proud that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is such a significant boost for them,” Duckworth said. “The work of Illinois’s farmers is so important to the strength of our state and our nation, and I look forward to continuing my work with the Illinois Farm Bureau and farmers across the state to make sure they have the resources and information they need.”

The Duckworth-championed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has already begun benefitting Illinois’s agriculture sector by providing major support to the state’s waterway infrastructure. In January, Duckworth helped announce that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) allocated $829.1 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) on the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). This ecosystem restoration and navigation improvement project will update two Lock & Dams and build another which will make it easier for farmers with agricultural products to navigate the waterway.

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