Nelson outlines effort for rural area

Just weeks after winning a victory in Washington for financially-strapped states, U.S. Senator Ben Nelson is picking up the gauntlet for rural communities.

Nelson fought earlier this month for nearly $2 million in the federal budget to help bail states out of their financial predicament.

He met with representatives from area hospitals and the city of McCook and are business and economic leaders, Thursday, to discuss problems and possible solutions for the crisis facing air service and rural community hospitals.

"Essential Air Service hasn't gotten the respect it deserves," Nelson said at a press conference following the meeting. "We fight every year to get it funded," Nelson said since September 11, the number of boardings is down. He plans to work to get the required number decreased, at least until there is a reversal and people begin using air service more regularly.

Nelson said he also is working to help the seven rural community hospitals in Nebraska and the hundreds across the country.

These hospitals, which lie in the gap between a classification threshold of under 10 beds and more than 50, have fallen between the cracks.

New legislation he is working on will give hospitals like Community Hospital of McCook funding for operating expenses, new technology and capital improvements.

Nelson also discussed an energy bill which could help expand the state's ethanol production.

Nelson, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he is excited about a program in the defense budget that could be developed in McCook.

The program would develop military software which would be used "to help the military become a better fighting machine." It would create 5-7 jobs in the area and would work with the local Nebraska National Guard and its equipment.

"It makes McCook part of the Silicon Prairie," he said.

Nelson said he will continue to fight for aid to states from the federal government. "You can take me out of the governor's office, but you can't take the governor's office out of me," he said.