News

Infrastructure bill to fund major waterway projects

Commodity and ag group leaders are pleased to see around $20 billion of the recently passed infrastructure bill will go toward lock, dam, port and inland waterway improvements.

Tracy Zea with The Waterways Council says the $2.5 billion for locks and dams will start the Navigation Ecosystems Sustainability program which will fully fund restoration and expansion of lock and dam #25 just north of St. Louis on the Mississippi River and LaGrange- the last lock on the Illinois River.

“These two locks are specifically important to America’s farmers because the majority of exports for soybeans and corn transfer through these locks, but also ag inputs that farmers rely on travel north through these locks.”

Illinois Corn Growers Association President Randy DeSutter says they’ve been pushing for these improvements for more than two decades and the $16.5 billion set aside for port infrastructure will also greatly benefit farmers.

“They just keep making these ships bigger, so we need more work on our ports. They need to be dredged out so we can get bigger ships in. If we could get ships all the way up to Baton Rouge, that could be 12 or 13 cents a bushel more on corn.”

Representative Cheri Bustos says while design and engineering for these projects could take some time, rulemaking for allocating the funds will begin as soon as President Biden signs the bill. Zea says the White House plans to provide a detailed plan for lock funding within 60 days of signing.

Zea and DeSutter spoke as part of a virtual press conference hosted by Bustos where guests highlighted further benefits to waterway improvements including job creation, increased efficiency and emission reduction as barge transportation means less semi-trucks on the road.

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!