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| Illinois, Mississippi river lock upgrades pending |
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By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A conference report on legislation that would fund construction of new locks and dams on the Illinois and upper Mississippi rivers was overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. Senate last week, eliciting praise from U.S. agriculture industry leaders across the nation.
With the Senate’s 81-12 approval, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) now lacks only President Bush’s signature to become law.
Agriculture industry leaders such as National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA) President Ken McCauley were quick to issue statements in support of the Senate action, even though the Bush Administration has indicated a presidential veto is likely forthcoming.
“Corn growers applaud the diligent leadership and guidance that has brought final passage of the (WRDA) conference report,” said McCauley, adding that “it’s unfortunate” the Bush Administration is threatening to veto the bill.
Such action, the NCGA maintains, would only delay passage as strong congressional support for WRDA makes an override possible. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said the bill is “veto-proof” and that Congress would be able to override a Bush veto with a two-thirds majority vote.
“Our hope is the President will take seriously his responsibility to ensure our nation has a safe and viable infrastructure by signing WRDA into law,” McCauley said following the Senate vote. “Ignoring that responsibility is a dangerous gamble.”
Proponents of the agriculture industry, organized labor and other groups have fought since at least 2000 to pass a new WRDA, which had been designed for renewal every two years.
They have long maintained that the river system’s antiquated 600-foot locks, constructed during the 1930s, cost farm commodity producers and barge company operators millions of dollars each year due to delayed transportation time.
WRDA provides $21 billion for construction of seven new, 1,200-foot locks that would accommodate modern barges and tugs, as well as for important flood control and ecosystem restoration projects along the rivers.
The American Soybean Assoc. (ASA), which said the older locks are responsible for lower commodity prices and fewer international sales, is among the long list of agriculture industry organizations that have fought for WRDA passage.
“These much needed improvements to the Mississippi and Illinois waterways are essential to the economic well-being and international competitiveness of U.S. soybeans,” stated ASA president John Hoffman, a soybean grower from Waterloo, Iowa. ”Soybean growers are eager to see this legislation put to work.”
Hoffman gave credit to the politicians who supported WRDA, including Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Representatives Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), John Mica (R-Fla.), Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.).
“This legislation has benefited from strong bipartisan support to achieve passage in the House and Senate,” Hoffman said. “We urge President Bush to quickly sign WRDA into law.”
Hoffman added that more than 75 percent of U.S. soybean exports move to world ports via the upper Mississippi and Illinois River systems.
Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) President Philip Nelson said Senate passage of WRDA was “a long time coming and represents crossing a major hurdle toward improving transportation efficiency on our vital river system. Illinois farmers are heavily dependent on efficient movement of barges. For too long, our nation has neglected this vital piece of our transportation infrastructure.”
Steve Ruh, president of the Illinois Corn Growers Assoc. (ICGA) and a corn grower from Sugar Grove, Ill., said WRDA passage positively affects many more industries than just agriculture.
“Modernizing our locks on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers is a crucial economic development step for farmers, Midwesterners and the entire U.S. economy,” said Ruh. “Corn may go down the river, but consumer goods like coal and building materials move upriver, and we depend on this system more than most people know.”
Sen. Durbin echoed Ruh’s statement.
“The Mississippi River transports $12 billion worth of products every year, affecting agriculture, commercial and labor interests across Illinois,” he said. “I joined senators from both parties to pass a bill that will create over 50,000 new jobs for our region, shorter shipping times and improved business for Midwest producers along the river.”
Paul Rohde of the Waterways Council, Inc. (formerly MARC 2000), called the passage of WRDA “a great day for our region - not just the agriculture community, or the transportation industry, or the building trades that would work on the locks. It was an historic moment for our entire region.”
Rohde said that assuming WRDA is approved by Bush or via a congressional override of a Bush veto, the next step would be to acquire funding through the annual appropriations process.
“(Appropriations) will be tougher than authorization, believe it or not. That funding must be granted annually for construction to continue at a productive pace,” said Rohde. “The Corps has said they still have some engineering work to do before concrete can be poured, so we will monitor that process and ensure that we are positioned to begin construction as soon as possible - perhaps (in) 2009 or 2010.”
Half of the funding for new locks would come from fuel taxes paid by the barge industry, the IFB reported. |
| 10/3/2007 |
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