Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

A powerful Missouri lawmaker is sponsoring a resolution against the controversial flood-control proposal known as Plan H.

Republican Senator Tom Dempsey says in the resolution that Plan H is “totally unacceptable” and that better data is needed before any flood-control proposal is implemented.

Dempsey is from Saint Charles County, one of three areas that would largely be left unprotected by Plan H, despite having a greater population than all of the upstream counties in Northeast Missouri, West-Central Illinois and Southeast Iowa combined.

Dempsey said Plan H would have a negative impact on agriculture, transportation, business, industry, tourism, hunting, fishing, boating, infrastructure and residences.

A similar measure is being circulated in the Missouri House by Democrat Representative Ed Schieffer.

Opponents hope the resolutions can be used as a guideline by Missouri’s federal delegation in fighting funding for Plan H.

Plan H would allow all but about 20 of the 140 levees along the upper Mississippi to be raised to 500-year flood levels. Left out of the equation would be large parts of Pike, Lincoln and Saint Charles counties.

Supporters say that with tweaking, Plan H is the best and least costly method of preventing the kinds of floods seen in 1993 and 2008.

Opponents called Plan H nothing more than a way to turn the three counties into holding basins for floodwaters while counties to the north are high and dry.

An opposition group called Neighbors of the Mississippi met recently with federal lawmakers and another trip to Washington is planned for next week.