Inland waterways challenges in 2019 begin with implementing the achievements of 2018.
Congress provided on-time appropriations for modernizing and maintaining the inland transportation system. Capital investment for five projects: Olmsted, $50 million; Lower Mon 2, 3, 4, $89 million;, Kentucky Lock, $43.6 million; Chickamauga Lock, S89.7 million; and LaGrange, $133.5 million, will be at full and efficient levels so that the Corps of Engineers can build and renovate these locks at its capability to execute, which will deliver outcomes ahead of schedule and under budget.
Record appropriations for Operations and Maintenance, $3.74 billion, will enable a robust dredging and maintenance program that will challenge coordination efforts between the corps and navigation industry partners.
Passage of “America’s Water Infrastructure Act,” which included a Water Resources Development Authorization (WRDA 2018,) added a new authorized inland navigation project to our priorities: Three Rivers, Arkansas. Most importantly, Congress rejected tolls and fees on the inland system and elimination of the federal role in maintaining and operating locks and dams that were advocated by the administration. We will face these same wrong-headed ideas in 2019 as a new infrastructure initiative is formulated by the administration and Congress.
Our first 2019 goal will be to be included in any infrastructure legislation, and, second to assure that the proposal does no harm. Our real challenge will be to embrace a national goal of initiating construction of the $8.8 billion portfolio of inland modernization projects in the next 10 years with full and efficient funding to deliver on-time and on-budget performance.