Jackson Free Press

I will be in Tunica County soon to officially open the new Tunica Airport. As most Mississippians know, Tunica County is one of the handful of Mississippi counties where citizens allow legalized gaming. No matter what one's opinion of gaming, one cannot deny that it has helped make Tunica County a much different place than it was decades ago, when the infamous "Sugar Ditch" was known worldwide as America's poorest spot. Yet, history teaches Mississippians to be wary of putting all of our economic eggs in a single basket, lest we risk a return to "Sugar Ditch." This is why projects like Tunica Airport and other infrastructure initiatives are so important.

To date, this project has received tens of millions in federal funding which Senator Cochran and I helped secure from the Congress. This airport is important because, like any piece of transportation infrastructure, it can help Tunica County and the Delta diversify and grow its economy, moving beyond any single high-profile industry like gaming or even agriculture.

Up until the War Between the States and for generations afterward, the Delta economy and that of Mississippi as a whole was largely dependent on a single product - cotton. When King Cotton began to wane, Mississippians took a big economic hit. Cotton is still with us, but we have long since learned the lessons of depending too much on a lone product or service as an economic foundation. Like most of you, I want to see the newfound prosperity in Tunica County and beyond continue and multiply. Tunica Airport and projects like it can help ensure this outcome.

Airports and roads are the basic building blocks for any economy. Companies need roads and airports to deliver their goods, access their suppliers, and provide for their own managers to travel to and from their facilities. Tunica's new airport will give local economic developers a new tool in securing industry beyond casinos. It will be an attractive asset to both manufacturers and service related industries. The airport's proximity to the metropolitan Memphis area is also a big plus. I believe Tunica Airport could eventually become a passenger terminal, helping to alleviate air traffic at the nearby Memphis International Airport.

The Memphis metro area is known worldwide as a warehousing and distribution point, serving as the home of Federal Express and other global distribution operations. Already some companies like Hunter Fan, Williams Sonoma, Dollar Tree, Dollar General and others have chosen to place distribution facilities and jobs in nearby Mississippi counties, in North Mississippi and even as far south as Brandon. The new Tunica Airport along with other airport upgrades across the state will give these companies more incentive to bring additional distribution jobs across the state line.

Other parts of the state also can benefit from this diversification through infrastructure strategy. For instance, along the Gulf Coast I am working with public officials on a number of projects that will further propel and diversify South Mississippi's economy far beyond gaming and tourism. New jobs in the defense contracting sector, in new technologies like remote sensing and in the energy arena will help ensure this region is never too dependent on one or two industries. Further down the river from Tunica in Vicksburg, Natchez, and eastward to the Choctaw Reservation, we continue funding transportation and infrastructure improvements that will allow these areas to attract new, good-paying jobs in the manufacturing sector - again building on momentum created by local gaming and tourism, but going well beyond it, creating jobs that stand alone, independent of any single activity.

Mississippi's history teaches us that we must never become too complacent, dependent on one particular job base. Our economy must be diversified - in the Delta, in the hills, on the coast and in every corner of our state. Transportation and infrastructure projects like Tunica Airport can help local areas chart new economic territory, creating more jobs, moving well beyond a single basket economy and far beyond the economic mistakes of our past. 7/31/03

Senator Lott welcomes any questions or comments about this column. Write to: U.S. Senator Trent Lott, 487 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510 (Attn: Press Office)