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Waterways Council: Use emergency funds to dredge Mississippi River
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06/07/11 01:42 PM ET
Waterways Council Chairman Rick Calhoun pushed lawmakers Tuesday to declare an emergency to come up with money to dredge the Mississippi River.
The Waterways Council, the main industry group that promotes shipping on heartland rivers, has been trying to call attention to the issue for months. The Army Corps of Engineers, which handles dredging, has allocated $66 million for dredging along the Mississippi River and other bodies of water, but the Waterways Council has said work is expected to cost $100 million.
On Tuesday, Calhoun called the situation on the Mississippi River "a state of emergency" that should be treated as such in the congressional appropriations process.
"The inland waterways navigation system is the most important transportation asset in the United States and is vital to the economic well-being of this country," Calhoun said in a statement. "We urgently call on the federal government today to take all necessary steps to provide funding for this national transportation asset and to allow the Lower Mississippi River to remain fully open for commerce."
Calhoun said that "unprecedented" levels of high water have pushed debris into the river, making it harder for ships to enter it.
"This silting may soon result in restrictions being imposed for ships and vessels that rely on this passageway to export products to the world market out of ports in south Louisiana," he said. "Dredging of this critical artery must happen now, but there is a shortfall of funds to do so. We urge the White House to immediately submit an emergency request for supplemental funds to Congress, and we ask that Congress expeditiously process that request for Emergency Supplemental Appropriations funding.
"Dredging this critical artery should be viewed as an investment, not a cost, in the future of our vital inland waterways transportation system," Calhoun concluded.
As it stands now, dredging projects and other improvements to inland waterways are funded through the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. The Corps of Engineers Civil Works program has included $77 million for trust fund-financed projects in President Obama's 2012 budget proposal.
The Waterways Council, the main industry group that promotes shipping on heartland rivers, has been trying to call attention to the issue for months. The Army Corps of Engineers, which handles dredging, has allocated $66 million for dredging along the Mississippi River and other bodies of water, but the Waterways Council has said work is expected to cost $100 million.
On Tuesday, Calhoun called the situation on the Mississippi River "a state of emergency" that should be treated as such in the congressional appropriations process.
"The inland waterways navigation system is the most important transportation asset in the United States and is vital to the economic well-being of this country," Calhoun said in a statement. "We urgently call on the federal government today to take all necessary steps to provide funding for this national transportation asset and to allow the Lower Mississippi River to remain fully open for commerce."
Calhoun said that "unprecedented" levels of high water have pushed debris into the river, making it harder for ships to enter it.
"This silting may soon result in restrictions being imposed for ships and vessels that rely on this passageway to export products to the world market out of ports in south Louisiana," he said. "Dredging of this critical artery must happen now, but there is a shortfall of funds to do so. We urge the White House to immediately submit an emergency request for supplemental funds to Congress, and we ask that Congress expeditiously process that request for Emergency Supplemental Appropriations funding.
"Dredging this critical artery should be viewed as an investment, not a cost, in the future of our vital inland waterways transportation system," Calhoun concluded.
As it stands now, dredging projects and other improvements to inland waterways are funded through the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. The Corps of Engineers Civil Works program has included $77 million for trust fund-financed projects in President Obama's 2012 budget proposal.
