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Inland Waterways: US Making Progress on Infrastructure
The United States’ vast network of navigable inland rivers is vital to the nation’s economy, serving as an aquatic superhighway for the efficient shipment of critical commodities like agricultural goods, energy products, building materials and industrial chemicals to destinations within the U.S. and to deepwater ports for export. The Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), which advocates for a modern, efficient and well-maintained inland waterways…
Dredging: Keeping the Mississippi Open
“Not only does the top of the river move, but the bottom of the river also moves.” - James Bodron, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division, Regional Business Director.Dredging was the Herculean act that allowed much of the U.S. economy to keep chugging along as usual, at least for Midwest and Central states, as drought conditions threatened to shut down river traffic on the Mississippi River and its tributaries…
Getting the Work Right: Coordinating Money, Time and Big Projects
I. MoneyNo one ever said it’s easy to understand federal budgets and spending plans. Nevertheless, a general sense of clarity and straightforwardness is critical for any review of public expenditures. This becomes more pressing when tracking revenue and expenditures linked to specific users’ fees, such as the $0.29/gallon fuel tax, paid by inland waterways operators. In 2021, the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) held $221.5 million…
WCI: 20 Years of Success and Still More to Come
Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) recently held its annual Washington, D.C. meetings that included a Capitol Hill fly-in. WCI members from across the country participated in 100 meetings with House and Senate members to advocate for the nation’s inland waterways to ensure its reliability by modernizing its infrastructure.Meeting with stalwart champions of the inland waterways as well as newly sworn in…
Inland Waterways Report: Columbia-Snake River System
It’s amazing to consider that a commercial vessel in the Pacific Ocean, approaching the mouth of the Columbia River, can continue its eastward journey to finally tie up at the Port of Lewiston, in Lewiston, Idaho, America’s most inland West Coast port, 465 miles from the Pacific Ocean.The Columbia and Snake Rivers form that critical east-west waterway, an economic powerhouse regionally, nationally and internationally.
US Inland Waterway Infrastructure: Riding a Good News Wave
The inland waterways have enjoyed several positive developments toward modernization of the system, particularly over the last two years.Annual appropriations that fund the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works mission have been steadily on the rise for the last nine fiscal years, specifically the Construction and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) accounts have been funded at historic levels. The…
US Inland Waterways: Big Money, New Projects, Help Wanted
New federal money promises dramatic impacts throughout the United States’ inland waterways system in 2022 and beyond. This report focuses on America’s central rivers; the Western rivers will be covered in a future report. These central rivers reach 11,000 miles, from Pennsylvania to Florida and from Texas to South Dakota.Consider the money within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “Civil Works Program Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)…
Suggestions for Making America’s Marine Highway Program More Effective
The America’s Marine Highways Program is one of several grant programs administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to promote more effective use of the nation’s navigable waterways. This particular program was established by Congress in 2007 to provide grants for projects that would promote water-borne alternatives to available landside transportation services, especially for freight carried by trucks.Consistent with this specific goal…
Interview: Jennifer Carpenter, President & CEO, AWO
Jennifer Carpenter joined The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry, in August 1990 and became its president and CEO in January 2020. She weighs in some of the most important developments in the industry today, from “hugely exciting” opportunities in offshore wind , tech innovation and decarbonization…
Stephaich, Pyne Honored by National Rivers Hall of Fame
National Rivers Hall of Fame will honor marine towing industry veterans Peter Stephaich and Joseph H. Pyne during the Annual Waterways Symposium hosted by Waterways Council, Inc. in St. Louis, Mo., in November.Stephaich, the current Chairman and CEO of Blue Danube Incorporated and Campbell Transportation Company, Inc., and Pyne, Kirby Corporation’s former CEO, will receive the Hall's Achievement Award…
Zea Named WCI President & CEO
Waterways Council, Inc.’s (WCI) Board of Directors unanimously elected Tracy R. Zea as the organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. He will assume the new duties effective today.With a broad range of Capitol Hill, policy development and government relations expertise, Zea most recently served as WCI’s Vice President-Government Relations, advocating for WCI’s goals for authorizations and appropriations which support a modern…
Insights: Jennifer Carpenter, AWO President & CEO
Jennifer A. Carpenter serves as President & CEO of The American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association representing the inland and coastal tugboat, towboat and barge industry. Carpenter joined AWO in August 1990 and became President & CEO in January 2020. Before assuming her current position, she worked her way up the hawsepipe from Government Affairs Assistant to Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer…
Calhoun Steps In as WCI's Interim President/CEO
Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) Senior Vice President Deb Calhoun has taken over as Interim President/CEO, effective February 18, 2020, following the retirement of President/CEO Michael J. Toohey.To begin the process to select a permanent President/CEO, an executive search firm will be retained and later announced, WCI said.Calhoun has been with WCI since its founding in 2003, and with its predecessor organization Waterways Work!…
Interview: Mark Knoy, President and CEO, ACBL
American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL) named Mark K. Knoy as its president and chief executive officer in August 2011. Prior to joining ACBL, he was vice president of American Electric Power’s (AEP) Fuel, Emissions and Logistics Group and president of AEP River Operations, having joined AEP with its 2001 purchase of MEMCO Barge Line. From 1984 to 1994, he was owner/operator of The Mark Twain Towing Company and Delmar Marine, Inc., Pekin, Illinois.
By the Numbers: Barge Transportation Market
Barge transportation comprises an extensive network, ideal for carrying seaborne cargo to inland destinations and exports alike. Responsible, in part, for the worldwide trade of bulk transport, the industry is of great significance to the agricultural sector. In North America, The Army Corps of Engineers maintains and operates over 12,000 miles of canals, rivers, and inland waterways. The Illinois…
Woodruff Named American Maritime Partnership President
The American Maritime Partnership (AMP) today announced the election of Matt Woodruff of Kirby Corporation as its new President. He succeeds Thomas A. Allegretti, President & CEO of The American Waterways Operators. “Leading the American Maritime Partnership – which speaks for the half a million American men and women whose employment depends on the domestic maritime industry – is a great honor. Our vibrant domestic maritime industry is an essential foundation for America’s economic…
Waterways Council Elects Parker as Chairman
As its Annual Meeting and Board of Directors Meeting in Cincinnati on November 15, 2016, Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) named Tim Parker, President of Parker Towing, as its Chairman of the Board. Parker succeeds Merritt Lane, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canal Barge Company. Parker serves on the Board of Directors of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc.; as Past Chairman of the Board of the Alabama State Port Authority…
Rethinking Inland Infrastructure Finance
P3: An alternative to tolls or lockage fees in public-private partnerships for inland waterways. Within the generally sorry state of the U.S. inland waterways infrastructure, there are some locations where conditions are particularly dire. Among those in this latter situation are several locks and dams on the Illinois River, including the La Grange Lock and Dam and the Peoria Lock and Dam, both of which were completed in 1939. Both of them are on the U.S.
'A Few Good Men' Thanks for the Leadership!
Change is inevitable, especially in Washington, DC, and particularly within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) is a strong partner with the Corps, as navigation is a critical business line within its Civil Works’ mission. Over the last year, we have seen some of the Corps’ best and brightest officers and civilians retire after decades of service to the Army, to the Corps of Engineers, to the inland navigation industry and of course, to the nation.
WCI's Toohey Applauds WRDA 2016 Bill
Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) President/CEO Michael J. “We thank Chairman James Inhofe and Ranking Member Barbara Boxer for their collaborative efforts to develop…