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Jane Clark
Senate Concurrent Resolution 104
Bill Text
PAG LIN
1 1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. ___
1 2 BY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
1 3 (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 3012)
1 4 A Concurrent Resolution urging the United States
1 5 Congress provide funding for the modernization of
1 6 lock and dam infrastructure on the Upper Mississippi
1 7 and Illinois Rivers Inland Waterways Transportation
1 8 System.
1 9 WHEREAS, over 360 miles of the Upper Mississippi
1 10 River and 11 navigation locks and dams are contained
1 11 on the border of or in the state of Iowa; and
1 12 WHEREAS, there are approximately 70 manufacturing
1 13 facilities, terminals, and docks on the waterways of
1 14 Iowa, providing thousands of jobs in this state; and
1 15 WHEREAS, the construction of the lock and dam
1 16 system has spurred economic growth and a higher
1 17 standard of living in the Mississippi and Illinois
1 18 river basin, and today supplies more than 300 million
1 19 tons of the nation's cargo, supporting more than
1 20 400,000 jobs, including 90,000 in manufacturing; and
1 21 WHEREAS, more than 60 percent of American
1 22 agricultural exports including corn, wheat, and
1 23 soybeans are shipped down the Mississippi and Illinois
1 24 rivers to foreign markets; and
1 25 WHEREAS, Iowa agricultural producers, industry, and
1 26 consumers rely on efficient transportation to remain
1 27 competitive in a global economy, with efficiencies in
1 28 river transport offsetting higher costs compared to
1 29 those incurred by foreign competitors; and
1 30 WHEREAS, the Upper Mississippi and Illinois lock
2 1 and dam system annually saves our nation more than
2 2 $1.5 billion in higher transportation costs; and
2 3 WHEREAS, approximately 17 million tons of
2 4 commodities and products including grain, coal,
2 5 chemicals, and aggregates are annually shipped to,
2 6 from, and within Iowa by barge, representing $2.7
2 7 billion in value; and
2 8 WHEREAS, shippers moving by barge in Iowa realize
2 9 an annual savings of approximately $170 million
2 10 compared to other transportation modes; and
2 11 WHEREAS, Iowa docks ship commodities and products
2 12 by barge to 14 states and receive commodities and
2 13 products from 18 states; and
2 14 WHEREAS, river transportation is the most
2 15 environmentally benign form of transporting
2 16 commodities and products, creating minimal levels of
2 17 noise pollution, and emitting 35 to 60 percent fewer
2 18 pollutants than trucks or trains, according to the
2 19 United States Environmental Protection Agency; and
2 20 WHEREAS, decreasing river transport capacity would
2 21 add millions of trucks and railcars to our nation's
2 22 transportation infrastructure, dramatically increasing
2 23 air pollution, traffic congestion, and highway
2 24 maintenance costs; and
2 25 WHEREAS, lakes and wildlife refuges created by the
2 26 lock and dam system provide habitat and breeding
2 27 grounds for migratory waterfowl and fish; and
2 28 WHEREAS, the lakes and 500 miles of wildlife refuge
2 29 along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois river basin
2 30 support a $1 billion-a-year recreational industry,
3 1 including hunting, fishing, and tourism; and
3 2 WHEREAS, many of Iowa's locks and dams are more
3 3 than 60 years old and only 600 feet in length, making
3 4 them unable to accommodate modern barge tows of up to
3 5 1,200 feet long, nearly tripling locking times and
3 6 causing lengthy delays and ultimately increasing
3 7 shipping costs; and
3 8 WHEREAS, the use of 1,200-foot locks has been
3 9 proven nationwide as the best method of improving
3 10 efficiency, reducing congestion and modernizing inland
3 11 waterways; and
3 12 WHEREAS, failing to construct 1,200-foot locks will
3 13 force agricultural producers and industry to use more
3 14 expensive alternative modes of transportation,
3 15 including road and rail systems; and
3 16 WHEREAS, according to the United States Army Corps
3 17 of Engineers, congestion along the Upper Mississippi
3 18 and Illinois rivers costs agricultural producers and
3 19 consumers in the basin $98 million per year in higher
3 20 transportation costs; and
3 21 WHEREAS, upgrading the system of locks and dams on
3 22 the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers will provide
3 23 3,000 construction and related jobs over a 15-year to
3 24 20-year period; NOW THEREFORE,
3 25 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF
3 26 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the General Assembly
3 27 recognizes the importance of the Upper Mississippi and
3 28 Illinois Rivers Inland Transportation System to the
3 29 economic prosperity and ecological vitality of the
3 30 state, the region, and the nation, and urges the
4 1 United States Congress to provide immediate funding to
4 2 modernize its lock and dam infrastructure.
4 3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the
4 4 Senate send copies of this concurrent resolution to
4 5 the President of the United States; the Chief of
4 6 Engineers and Commander of the United States Corps of
4 7 Engineers; the President of the United States Senate;
4 8 the Speaker of the United States House of
4 9 Representatives; the Chair of the Senate Committee on
4 10 Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the Chair of
4 11 the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture,
4 12 Nutrition and Forestry; the Chair of the House of
4 13 Representatives Committee on Transportation and
4 14 Infrastructure; the Chair of the United States House
4 15 of Representatives Committee on Agriculture; and
4 16 Iowa's congressional delegation.
4 17 LSB 6010SV 79
4 18 da/pj/5
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