Inland Waterway

WCI Reacts to ASCE 2013 Report Card

Waterways Council, Inc., (WCI) has received the 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the inland waterways have received a grade of D-.    The Report Card assesses the condition of a number of the nation’s infrastructure systems, including the inland waterways, and is released every four years.  Each category is evaluated based upon capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience and innovation. Although ASCE’s Report Card says, “Our nation’s inland waterways and rivers are the hidden backbone of our freight network,”America’s inland waterways infrastructure grades have gone from a D+ in 2001 to D- in 2005 and 2009.  America’s cumulative infrastructure G.P.A. is a D+. WCI President Michael J. Toohey said, “While this gradeis not surprising since the nation has not properly invested in the inland waterways infrastructure, it is still disappointing.  There is, however, momentum within Congress now to make meaningful changes to increase funding for lock and dams and we remain hopeful about that.” The full report card is available at www.infrastructurereportcard.org.  

Inland Waterways Users Board to Meet in DC

The Inland Waterways Users Board, sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will meet in Washington, DC on February 24. Topics on the agenda include funding for inland navigation projects and studies and the status of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund. 70 Fed. Reg. 5421 Source: HK Law Source: HK Law

Pushing for Inland Waterways Funding

Stressing the high value to the nation and the critical condition of some of its chief assets, the Inland Waterways Users Board released its Annual Report to Congress, and provides recommendations related to the inland waterways system of the United States. Sent to Assistant Secretary of the Army John Woodley, President of the Senate and Vice President Dick Cheney, and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, this year's report strongly urges Congress and the Administration to view our nation’s

Opposition to Inland Waterways Lockage Tax

The American Waterways Operators, the national trade association for the tugboat, towboat and barge industry, criticized the proposal in the Obama Administration's Fiscal Year 2010 budget to replace the inland waterways fuel tax with a lockage tax. A similar idea was proposed by the Bush Administration and rejected by the 110th Congress. AWO urges Congress to reject it again. AWO contended that replacing the excise tax on fuel that equitably distributes taxes on all commercial waterways

Waterways Plan Sent to Congress

The Inland Waterways Users Board adopted a final report that accompanies a new comprehensive, consensus-based package of recommendations formulated by an industry and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working group to improve the continued vitality of the U.S. inland navigation system over the next 20 years.  The report and recommendations are being sent to Congress and if adopted, will better address the needs of the entire system and provide more dollars for greatly needed infrastructure

Waterways Users Board Testifies Before Senate

Matt Woodruff, a member of the Inland Waterways Users Board, the Waterways Council Board of Directors, and Director- Government Affairs for Kirby Corporation in Houston, Texas, testified before the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works about the essential value of the waterways system to the nation’s economy, jobs and America’s continued competitiveness. He specifically addressed the Inland Waterways Capital Development Plan, a comprehensive

Osprey Line Makes Record Container Tow

M/V Bill Watson, with a 15 barge tow traveling through Baton Rouge. Osprey Line, LLC, recently completed the largest single unit tow container movement in the history of the U.S. Inland Waterway System. The 15 barge tow was loaded with 375 containers (750 TEU) of agricultural products from Memphis to New Orleans and Houston. Osprey Line worked closely with six major steamship lines to move the cargo to Gulf of Mexico ports for export on container vessels

WCI Reflects on Inland Waterways Industry in 2006

As the inland waterways industry looks back on 2006 and forward to 2007, Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) offers the following highlights and areas of focus: • President Bush’s FY 2007 proposed budget requested a record level of federal funding for 11 Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF)-financed projects. The budget request proposed FY ’07 spending of $394 million for Inland Waterways Trust Fund financed projects, of which $197 million would come from the dedicated Inland Waterways Trust

Keeping America's Waterways Open

The Executive Committee of Waterways Council unanimously support 'The Reinvesting in Vital Economic Rivers & Waterways (River) Act of 2013'. The plan, introduced in Pittsburgh -- where some of the most aged locks and dams reside -- would establish a sustainable, cost-effective way to ensure that the inland and intra-coastal waterways of the United States remain economically viable.  This bill, sponsored by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), would modernize America’s inland waterways system

Congress Representatives Introduce WAVE 4 Investment Bill

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) has announced its strong support for WAVE 4 -- “Waterways are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency and Environment Act of 2013” (H.R. 1149) that was introduced today by Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-KY), along with cosponsor Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL). Additional cosponsors include Congressman Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) and Congressman Pete Olson (R-TX).