In front of Congress, Dooley praises development grants
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau
February 25, 2010
by Bill Lambrecht
WASHINGTON -- With sensitivity in Congress about reports of stimulus money winding up in the hands of foreign companies, it was natural for House members to ask St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley about a federal grant that went to the effort to persuade China to build a cargo hub in St. Louis.
"We see China connected with something in the Midwest, we think about jobs going the other way," said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the non-voting delegate to Congress from the District of Columbia.
When Dooley explained that the cargo hub was intended to promote trade between the St. Louis region and China, calling it a potential "game-changer," Norton said she was eager to see how the St. Louis plan might work in other regions of the country if it succeeds.
The exchange took place this afternoon at a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing looking into Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants that the government gives to communities. Dooley was testifying on behalf of the International Economic Development Council, a nonprofit that deals with local economic matters.
The mission of Dooley and other panelists was to explain the value of EDA grants amid proposals by the Obama administration to make cuts. He did so by detailing how they've been used in St. Louis over the years, recounting successes that included the World Trade Center, the Metropolitan Education and Training Center, World Wide Technology -- a St. Louis-based information technology company -- and his hopes for the Midwest-China hub.
"We need resources of the EDA to dig out of this economic slump," he said. "EDA money, we believe, is seed money, a small bit of money that can make a big difference in people's lives."
