June 13, 2008

Senator Cochran spoke on the Senate floor yesterday regarding rising gas prices. 

The full text of Senator Cochran’s remarks are below:

“Madam President, The high cost of gasoline has had a crippling effect of the economy of my state of Mississippi. The people in my state, where earnings are below the national average, are simply not able to keep up with the rising cost of living.
 
High gasoline prices not only increase the cost of going to work, they also result in increased costs of food and other consumables. As a constituent who called my office yesterday said, “I can stand the high price of gas, but my utility bills have stretched me to the breaking point.” The Daily Journal, a newspaper in Northeast Mississippi quoted another constituent, Jennifer Skinner of Tupelo as saying, “working class people can barely make it. I’m a single mom with three kids.”
 
Madam President we’ve been very fortunate that our farmers have been getting record prices for corn, soybeans and wheat, and other commodities as well over the last two years. And while the value of these commodities are high, energy costs have caused the inputs for farm operations to rise significantly. This has affected cost of fertilizer, pesticides, electricity, and the diesel fuel that farmers used. As a result farmers who have worked so hard to produce food at a lower coast to the consumer than any other country are not able to sustain their farming operations. These high prices and high costs have created a cycle of higher food costs that have been added to the burden of my constituents.
 

(more…)

Senator Cochran plans to speak at the dedication of the historic L.Q.C. Lamar House on Sunday.  The Lamar House is located in Oxford, Mississippi.  Click here to check out the article written by the Associated Press in the Clarion-Ledger.

For more information on the historic landmark, view the article from The Daily Mississippian below.

Lamar House museum dedication set for Sunday

Anna Malone- The Daily Mississippian

Media credit: Cass Green

One of Oxford’s historic landmarks, the L.Q.C. Lamar House, has been restored and will be dedicated as a museum Sunday.

The dedication ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. and will include speeches from Oxford Mayor Richard Howorth and Chancellor Robert Khayat. The keynote address will be given by Sen. Thad Cochran, said Liz Shiver, president of the Oxford-Lafayette County Heritage Foundation.

The L.Q.C. Lamar House was the home of Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar from 1868 to 1888. Lamar was a lawyer and a teacher at the University of Mississippi as well as a politician who served in all three branches of the U.S. government.

Click here to read the full article.

Check out our “In the News” section for an article by the Winston County Journal announcing that the Department of Transportation has secured approximately $1.9 million for airports across Mississippi.  Louisville, Mississippi, was granted over $150,000.  View below for part of the article.

Louisville to receive funds for airport

From Press Reports- May 31, 2008

Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker announced that the Department of Transportation has released nearly $1.9 million for airports across the state of Mississippi including over $150,000 for Louisville.

Funding for the grants, administered by the Federal Aviation Administration, was provided through the Fiscal Year 2008 Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.

“Mississippi’s rural airports are critical to ensuring economic prosperity throughout our state,” Senator Cochran said. “These facilities give Mississippi businesspeople and recreational pilots local options when they fly. I am pleased that the Federal Aviation Administration has recognized the needs at these airports.”

“Local airports are an asset to both large and rural communities in Mississippi,” Senator Wicker added. “These federal funds will improve airport safety and efficiency while helping our state remain economically competitive.”

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Read in the Clarion-Ledger how our Mississippi delegation including Senator Cochran, Senator Roger Wicker, and Rep. Bennie Thompson helped to secure $6 million in federal funding for Jackson State University’s Homeland Security Center of Excellence.  View part of the article below.

JSU center gets $6 million to study natural disasters
The Clarion-Ledger • May 28, 2008

Jackson State University’s Homeland Security Center of Excellence will receive more than $6 million in federal funding to study natural disaster impact, mitigation and response.
 
The award, announced today by U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker and 2nd District Rep. Bennie Thompson, will fund research topics that include protecting infrastructure and populations, enhancing post-disaster recovery, improving disaster-related communication, and enhancing critical supply chain resiliency.

Click here to read the full article in the Clarion Ledger.