Waterways Council to honor Sen. Durbin

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) will receive a "leadership service" award from the Waterways Council, the group announced on Tuesday.

The Arlington, Va.-based group said it was honoring Durbin with its 12th annual leadership award because of his work on allowing shippers to use the Mississippi River during droughts.

“Waterways Council is honored to express its gratitude to Senator Durbin and to thank him publicly for his commitment to America’s critical waterways infrastructure, to Illinois jobs and to the environment,” Waterways Council President Michael Toohey said in a statement. 

“Our Leadership Service Award has a rich history of recognizing true champions of our nation’s waterways and port system, and Sen. Durbin personifies this,” Toohey continued.

Durbin is scheduled to receive the award on March 19. The recognition comes as Congress is anticipated to begin consideration of a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill this year.

Advocates have argued that ports and inland waterways have been an overlooked part of the U.S. transportation as lawmakers focused in recent years on road, transit and aviation funding.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's water panel is scheduled to hold a meeting on the WRDA on Wednesday.

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