Durbin: Congress Should Pass Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Mississippi River Navigation and Ecosystem

Interview

DURBIN: CONGRESS SHOULD PASS BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NAVIGATION AND ECOSYSTEM

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today applauded the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approval of the Water and Resources Development Act (WRDA). The WRDA bill includes Congressional authorization for locks and dam modernization on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and authorizes specific projects for navigation, ecosystem restoration, and flood and storm damage reduction. The bill will now move to the Senate floor for debate.

"Passing WRDA will mean over 50,000 new jobs for the region, shorter shipping times, and improved business for Midwest producers along the river," said Durbin. "The Mississippi River transports $12 billion worth of products every year, affecting agriculture, commercial, and labor interests across the state. We must update and modernize the waterway to remain competitive in the years to come."

The most significant provision in the bill would increase lock and dam capacity and improve the ecosystem of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The legislation would authorize $2.1 billion for replacing and upgrading locks and dams and another $1.65 billion for ecosystem restoration. "Updating these locks is critical for industry and agriculture in Illinois-- more than half of Illinois' annual corn crop is shipped to export markets on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Shipping via barge on the River keeps exports competitive and reduces transportation costs for Illinois farmers and businesses," said Durbin.

"This bill also includes critical projects that protect not only the ecosystems of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers but the Great Lakes ecosystem as well. Today, the Asian Carp threatens a $4.1 billion sport and commercial fishing industry in the Great Lakes. The bill passed today recognizes the threat of the Asian Carp by authorizing the permanent operation of the barrier system to prevent the Asian Carp from entering the waters of the Great Lakes," Durbin added.

The Committee bill also included a provision that was included last year as an amendment that would establish independent review panels for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. This issue has received significant attention in the wake of the Gulf Coast hurricanes, which showed that major levee failures in New Orleans occurred because of faulty design, construction or maintenance. The Corps of Engineers is responsible for carrying out the majority of the projects contained in the WRDA legislation.

The provision would establish an independent panel of experts to review projects costing more than $40 million, projects requested by a state governor, projects for which the director of a federal agency has said could have a significant adverse impact, or projects that the Army's secretary has found to be controversial. The provision also calls for an independent safety review for critical flood damage reduction projects. The independent review process will not lengthen the time line for projects to be completed.

Specifically, the bill includes:

# $1.87 billion for the construction of seven new 1,200 foot locks at Locks 20, 21, 22, 24, and 25 on the Upper Mississippi River and at LaGrange Lock and Peoria Lock on the Illinois Waterway.

# $1.65 billion for ecosystem restoration, providing the Corps of Engineers authority to do island building, construction of fish passages, floodplain restoration, water level management, backwater restoration, side channel restoration, wing dam and dike restoration, island and shoreline protection, topographical diversity, use of dredged material for environmental purposes, tributary confluence restoration, land easement authority, and land acquisition.

# $246 million for small-scale and non-structural improvements such as traffic management and boats that push the barges through locks faster.

"We have been waiting seven long years for a bill to reauthorize navigation projects all over the country. Now the real work begins as we work on the floor of the Senate to pass this bill and to modernize the Mississippi waterway so our region can remain competitive in the years to come," said Durbin.

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved a similar version of the Water Resources and Development Act (H.R.1495) on March 15. It is expected to be debated in the House after the Congressional recess.

Source