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Congress discussing more funding for waterway improvements

Inland waterway improvements are amongst legislative proposals currently being discussed on Capitol Hill.  

Jim Tarmann, Managing Director for the Illinois Corn Growers Association tells Brownfield congress is working to reauthorize the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), and the senate version includes a cost-share change.

“Currently it is 65% federal funds and 35% Inland Waterways Trust funds. They have proposed to go to a 75/25 split. That means we could see our projects completed 3-5 year sooner.”

With the appropriations process underway, Tarmann says four Illinois legislators also requested funding to complete engineering and design work for the LaGrange lock and dam on the upper Mississippi River.

“And low and behold it was accepted into the appropriations. Now, it is anybody’s guess when the appropriations process will move forward in an election year, but it has been bipartisan, and we are excited about that.”

Tarmann says after years of advocating for waterway infrastructure, 2022 has been an exciting year of progress, and he looks forward to the groundbreaking for reconstruction of lock and dam 25 in 2023.

Tarmann highlights financial and efficiency impacts these improvements could have on farmers, specifically in Illinois, in this week’s episode of IL Corn Connection.