Midwest Are River Coalition News

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.

The National Waterways Conference will hold its annual meeting in New Orleans at the Hilton Riverside Hotel on September 4-6 where some 350 business, civic and waterways leaders are expected to attend. Donald T. (Boysie) Bollinger, chairman and chief executive officer of Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., and Richard R. Calhoun, vice president of Cargill, Inc., and chairman of the National Grain and Feed Assn., will be the main speakers at the event. According to conference chairman, J. Ron Brinson of the Port of New Orleans, Bollinger of Lockport La., will address the opening luncheon. Bollinger Shipyards, one of the nation's largest builders of boats and barges, operates 20 shipyards from Mississippi to Texas. Calhoun, of Minneapolis, will speak at the closing luncheon.

To properly do its job, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs at least $4.7 billion, said some speakers at the National Waterways Conference Budget Summit. On the other hand, some asked, should the USACE be responsible for waterways management at all? Although the budget proposed by the Administration for the USACE in FY 00 is "close" to what's needed; there is still a shortfall of approximately $700 million, said speakers at the National Waterways Conference (NWC) Budget Summitt, held last month in Washington, D.C. Additionally, some speakers questioned the need of proposed harbor services fees; especially if they should be added to the budget proposal. And at least one speaker asked if the USACE should even be the responsible party for waterways management and maintenance.