Senator Joni Ernst talks infrastructure and funding with decorahnews.com

After the Vesterheim Commons tour last Friday in Decorah, Sen. Joni Ernst took a few minutes to talk with decorahnews.com. In our conversation, we discussed the current needs of rural communities like Decorah, especially as they relate to federal funding for infrastructure. Sen. Ernst acknowledged the difficulties rural communities face as rural populations decrease but funding needs increase. "It is really difficult for our rural communities and ever increasingly we see more people leaving our rural areas and going to the metropolitan areas," she said. "So there is this push and pull with funding on who should get the funding – should it be those sparsely populated rural areas or should it be directed more towards the urban centers – and there are so many of us that know that we have to keep our rural communities alive." She asserted the need to sustain programs through the USDA and programs that are found in the current Farm Bill, which is set to be re-authorized in 2023. "Agriculture is King in Iowa, so we are trying to work and make sure that we can continue to support the programs that are found in the Farm Bill, that's coming up right now," Sen. Ernst said. "And we have rural economic development programs that come through the USDA, so those are important and making sure that we're able to sustain them." When asked what communities could do, in addition to applying for USDA programs, to get more federal funding for roads and bridges specifically, Sen. Ernst said that communities and counties need to think outside the box and find different ways to fund infrastructure without relying on the federal government. "My caution is that we probably won't be able to grow those in dollar figures, not after the debt ceiling deal, and we really do have to watch the expenditures. So I don't anticipate that we'll see more dollars going in right away," she said. "But for roads and bridges and things like that, and I have asked DOT directors here from Iowa, I've talked to our motor-truck association, other types of groups out there. Start thinking about ways that we can fund infrastructure, whether it's roads, whether it is sewer and water. We have to have different funding mechanisms." Sen. Ernst then acknowledged the need to find and listen to experts to find solutions. "We can't find all of the answers just by ourselves," she said. "I love to turn to subject matter experts and ask them, please send us your ideas and provide guidance on this. So, we would love to see more of that. We need to know from a lot of these communities–what are some ways that we can think outside of the box?" She also emphasized patience and focusing on other ways to solve problems related to road and bridge maintenance, repair, and construction. One possibility she recommended was rethinking permitting requirements. "What I recommend as well is that, and I know that this is going to take a while, but thinking differently. Maybe instead of just providing dollars for that, what are ways we can scale back on permitting requirements for smaller communities that would save some cost and time," Sen. Ernst said. "How about we think about using different types of materials in the road surfaces, you know, that might extend the life of our roads. There's just a lot of different ways that we should be looking at this." The senator continued: "I was just at Iowa State University, and instead of traditional asphalt for paving, they are using a soybean-based product that actually extends the life of the surface and it's grown in Iowa and manufactured here. So, they're still doing testing on it, but it blows my mind that we can have the resources right here in our state that would make us much more sustainable." According to the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, the Farm Bill is legislation that sets national agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy. The Farm Bill is updated and re-authorized every five years. To learn more about the 2023 Farm Bill, visit agriculture.senate.gov/farm-bill. The Committee invites ideas and proposals for the 2023 Farm Bill, as well as feedback about the 2018 Farm Bill. Submissions are welcomed via this form or by emailing FarmBill2023@ag.senate.gov.