Barry Palmer News

At the Annual Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) Membership Meeting and Board of Directors Meeting held October 29 in St. Louis, the following officers and Executive Committee members were elected to serve or continue service for 2008-2009:  Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President, HR & Chief Legal Officer, Ingram Barge Company, remains as Chairman of the Board; Cornel Martin, was elected President and CEO; Steve Little, President and CEO, Crounse Corporation, remains as General Counsel; Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co., was re-elected Secretary; Cherrie Felder, Vice President, Channel Shipyard, remains as Treasurer. Former WCI President and CEO R. Barry Palmer was named President Emeritus. Also named to new terms as officers were Richard R.

Cornel J. Martin has been named as Waterways Council, Inc.'s President and CEO (designate), effective August 1, 2008. Martin will transition alongside current President and CEO R. Barry Palmer, who will retire at the end of December. Palmer has served as President and CEO of Waterways Council for five years, and before that, served for 22 years as Executive Director of DINAMO, the Association for the Development of Inland Navigation in 's . Martin most recently served as CEO and Chairman of Direct Workforce…

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) Chairman Dan Mecklenborg announced that an executive search has begun to identify a successor for R. Barry Palmer, WCI President/CEO, who has announced his intention to retire at the end of this year. WCI’s Executive Committee has retained JDG Associates, Ltd., , to conduct the national search for a successor for Mr. Palmer. A search committee to evaluate both internal and external candidates, led by Chairman Mecklenborg, has been organized and is composed of WCI Executive Committee members Rick Calhoun…

of the mid-west region and the nation. commerce in America's agricultural and industrial heartland. Navigation System. said Barry Palmer, President & CEO of Waterways Work! river. world markets. residents and industrial facilities throughout the basin. St. Louis is the second largest inland port in the United States. cars each year. and efficient for our nation's economy to flourish," continued Palmer.

Waterways Work! hailed the House's overwhelming passage of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill conference report by a vote of 387 to 36 yesterday afternoon. The FY '04 conference report project funding total for projects funded from the Inland Waterways Trust Fund is approximately $271 million for lock and dam improvement projects. This amount represents the highest level of funding since 1993. While still short of Waterways Work!'s recommended allocation of $300 million per year for a period of 10 years from the Trust Fund to complete authorized projects in a timely and efficient manner, it is viewed as a significant step in the right direction for modernization of the inland waterways system.

Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-MO) will receive the Third Annual Waterways Council, Inc. Leadership Service Award on Wednesday, March 31, 2004, at 6 p.m. at the Willard Hotel, Washington, DC. Senator Bond is being honored for his unwavering commitment to the improvement of the ports and commercial waterways system. After serving as the state of Missouri’s Governor for two terms, Senator “Kit” Bond is now in his third term in the Senate. Senator Bond serves as Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the Environment & Public Works Committee, which is responsible for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers program to maintain and modernize the locks and dams on America’s inland navigation system.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) has created a unique web site –www.waterwayscouncil.org – to educate the general public about the value of a modern and well-maintained national system of ports and inland waterways. The site includes general information about WCI; a discussion of the waterways from their earliest beginning during the Lewis and Clark era to the present; a look at how “Waterways Work for America” in different industries; a U.S. map which highlights inland waterways’ priority projects and offers in-depth profiles on these projects; profiles and analysis for states with major waterways systems; information on “Restoring Trust to the Trust Fund” and “Our Lock and Dams: Aging Ungracefully”…

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) commends the U.S. Louisville, KY, three-and-one-half days ahead of schedule. antiquated lock. components," said R. Barry Palmer, President/CEO of Waterways Council, Inc. Valley. navigation at this location for the duration of the repairs. waterways system. other locations throughout the system. projects is dangerously low. river system are rising exponentially. delays," Palmer continued. July 21, 2004. quantitative impacts. upon a well-maintained and modern national system of ports and waterways. Nation's electricity. billion annually compared to alternate transportation modes. trucks or 10 million rail cars each year.

Waterways Council, Inc. expressed its appreciation to Congress which, in the recently completed lame duck session, passed an omnibus spending package which allocates $4.7 billion in FY 2005 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ civil works program. The bill includes $331.5 million for the Inland Waterways Users Board’s priority navigation projects – a $61 million increase over last year’s appropriations and $64.6 million over the President’s FY 2005 request for these projects. Specifically, the Omnibus Bill appropriated funds to the following critical infrastructure projects on the inland waterways system: Inner Harbor ($14.5 million)…

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), the national public policy organization that advocates for a modern and well-maintained system of ports and inland waterways, today praised the three-and-a-half year tenure of U.S. Maritime Administrator (MarAd) Captain William G. Schubert, who announced his resignation, effective February 12. Throughout his service to MarAd, Captain Schubert met regularly with WCI in Washington, DC, and devoted untold time and attention to the issues facing the inland waterways industry. Among his accomplishments, Captain Schubert developed a central web site repository within MarAd to catalogue all relevant inland waterways industry studies and data…

Released on February 7, President Bush's FY 2006 proposed budget requests the highest funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program in many years. It demonstrates the Bush Administration's increasing understanding of the myriad benefits of the nation's inland waterways system and the need to nurture, not neglect, this critically important transportation system. The budget request underscores the President's goal to keep the Nation economically strong and competitive. This budget request of $4.513 billion proposes FY '06 spending of $184 million from the dedicated Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF) for the modernization of priority, Congressionally-approved locks and dams on the inland system.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) announced that it is very pleased by the action of the House Appropriations Committee, which overwhelmingly approved spending $365.3 million in fiscal year 2006 to complete critical Inland Waterway Trust Fund financed lock and dam projects on the Nation’s inland waterways system. The Committee action further underscores and improves upon President Bush’s highest ever FY 2006 budget request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program. In their actions, both the Administration and the Committee have demonstrated an increasing understanding of the many benefits of the Nation’s inland waterways system and the goal of keeping the Nation economically strong and competitive.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) announced that it is very pleased by the action of the House Appropriations Committee, which overwhelmingly approved spending $365.3 million in fiscal year 2006 to complete critical Inland Waterway Trust Fund financed lock and dam projects on the Nation's inland waterways system. The Committee action further underscores and improves upon President Bush's highest ever FY 2006 budget request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program. In their actions, both the Administration and the Committee have demonstrated an increasing understanding of the many benefits of the Nation's inland waterways system and the goal of keeping the Nation economically strong and competitive.

While seaports that handle ocean-going ships often garner headlines for their security and environmental programs, and cargo and passenger handling news, the role and benefits of the world’s vast inland waterway systems are not as well known. However, shallow-draft waterways and ports, which primarily accommodate towboats, barges, pleasure craft and touring vessels, are an integral part of a nation’s maritime system and serve as an economic and jobs generator. With its inaugural Shallow-Draft Ports seminar slated for the Sheraton Station Square Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Oct. 5-6, the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) hopes to improve the maritime industry’s understanding of inland waterways and ports, and point out ways to better utilize them.

The National Waterways Foundation elected new officers and trustees at its recent meeting on October 3, 2007 in Houston, TX. Newly elected Foundation officers are Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co., Chairman, succeeding Joe Pyne, President/CEO, Kirby Corporation, and Terry Becker, President, Riverway Co., Treasurer. R. Barry Palmer, WCI, President and CEO, was re-elected as Secretary. Re-elected as Foundation trustees were Craig E. Philip, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ingram Barge Company; H. Merritt Lane, III, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canal Barge Company; Howard H. Brent, Peter Stephaich and R. Barry Palmer.

At its Annual Meeting held October 1 in Houston, the Board of Directors of Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) elected the following officers and Executive Committee members for 2007-2008: Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President, HR & Chief Legal Officer, Ingram Barge Company, Chairman; R. Barry Palmer, WCI, President and CEO; Steve Little, President and CEO, Crounse Corporation, General Counsel; Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co., Secretary; Cherrie Felder, Vice President, Channel Shipyard, Treasurer. H. Merritt Lane III, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canal Barge Company; Peter Lilly, Chief Operating Officer--Coal, CONSOL Energy Inc., and Rick Calhoun, President, Cargo Carriers, were named as Vice-Chairmen.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) expressed its gratitude for the aggressive work of the House and Senate this week to override the President’s veto of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. WRDA, delayed for more than seven years, is now law. It authorizes critically important projects on the inland waterways including the modernization of seven locks along the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway, and projects on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at Bayou Sorrel, Matagorda Bay and High Island to the Brazos River. Late Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted 361 to 54 to override the veto; the Senate voted 79 to 14 to override today. “This is an historic event in the improvement of America’s waterways and for the Nation overall,” said R.

Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI ) commended the bipartisan approval last night by the U.S. House of Representatives of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The legislation authorizes critically important projects on the inland waterways including the modernization of seven locks along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and projects on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at Bayou Sorrel and Matagorda Bay. The final vote was 381-40 to pass the WRDA conference report in the House, underscoring our Nation’s commitment to remain economically competitive. “The action taken in the House to pass WRDA should be applauded by the Nation as a whole,” said R. Barry Palmer, WCI President.

Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) will receive the Sixth Annual Waterways Council, Inc. Leadership Service Award on February 28 at the Willard Hotel, Washington, DC. Senator Byrd will be honored for his steadfast commitment to the improvement of the Nation’s ports and commercial inland waterways system over his many years in Congress. Past recipients of the award include Representative David Hobson (2006); Representative Jerry Costello and Representative John Duncan, Jr. (2005); Senator Kit Bond (2004); Senator John Breaux (2003), and Representative Sonny Callahan (2002). Senator Byrd is Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, appointed to the Committee by then-Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson in 1959, the year Senator Byrd began his Senate service.

Although it represents a decrease from the FY 2007 spending level President Bush’s FY 2008 proposed budget nonetheless requests the highest level of funding ever included in any President’s budget for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water resources projects and programs, a total of $4.871b. Last year’s (FY 07) budget request was $4.733 billion. This budget request also proposes FY ’08 spending of $418 million for Inland Waterways Trust Fund financed projects, of which one-half will come from the dedicated Inland Waterways Trust Fund. The remainder would come from general treasury funds, as required under current law. The FY 2008 Civil Works Budget notes that…

As the inland waterways industry looks back on 2006 and forward to 2007, Waterways Council, Inc. • 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 Fund. The remainder would come from general treasury funds, as required under current law. The President’s FY ‘07 budget request is the highest funding recommendation for IWTF funded projects since cost-sharing legislation was enacted into law in 1986.

The Board of Directors of the Midwest Area River Coalition (MARC 2000) voted unanimously on December 15, 2006 to approve the merger of MARC 2000 into Waterways Council, Inc. The Board of Directors of Waterways Council had previously approved this merger. Under the terms of the agreement, Waterways Council will retain the right to continue to use the name MARC 2000 in pursuance of the Midwest region’s priorities and goals. It is expected that this merger will be completed by the end of 2006. This merger is designed to nationalize the issue of lock modernization for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway (UMRS) to help accomplish the mission of maintaining and modernizing the waterways infrastructure of the UMRS. The MARC 2000 coalition, with headquarters in St.

At its Annual Meeting held October 18 in Nashville, the Board of Directors of Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) elected the following officers and Executive Committee members for 2006-2007: Mark Knoy, President, AEP MEMCO LLC, Chairman; R. Barry Palmer, WCI, President and CEO; Dan Mecklenborg, Senior Vice President, HR & Chief Legal Officer, Ingram Barge Company, First Vice Chairman and General Counsel; Kevin Sparks, Manager, Petrochemicals Marketing, Marathon Petroleum Co., LLC, Secretary/Treasurer; Peter Lilly, Chief Operating Officer-Coal, CONSOL Energy Inc., and Rick Calhoun, President, Cargo Carriers, Vice-Chairmen. Peter Stephaich, Chairman, Campbell Transportation Co; H.