Waterways funding bill considered

Some river locks to be modernized, expanded

WASHINGTON (AP)--The Senate is expected to vote in mid-July on a long-delayed waterways bill that would fund seven new locks on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers to help ease barge traffic.

Lawmakers began debate July 18 on the $11.7 billion Water Resources Development Act, a measure held up for months after the White House raised concerns about its steep price tag.

Pushed for years by farm groups and the river navigation industry, the bill contains $1.8 billion to replace the antiquated 600-foot locks with new 1,200-foot chambers that would allow river traffic to pass more quickly. Another $1.6 billion would go toward ecosystem restoration along the rivers.

A similar bill was approved in the House last year by a vote of 406 to 14. But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-TN, under pressure from the White House, repeatedly declined to bring it to a vote on the Senate floor.

Lawmakers exerted their own influence earlier this year, when 81 senators signed a letter to Frist demanding a vote. The project would mean thousands of new jobs in Missouri and Illinois, and lawmakers from those states have been among its most avid proponents.

"This bill is key to securing our region's economic future," said Sen. Kit Bond, R-MO, who sponsored the bill. "Without a competitive transportation system, the promise of expanded trade and commercial growth is empty, job opportunities are lost, and we will be unprepared for the global challenges of this new century."

Illinois Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said the nation "cannot expect our farmers to compete in a 21st-century economy using pre-World War II-era technology."

Environmentalists and taxpayer groups have long opposed the project, arguing that a steady decline in barge traffic over the past 15 years does not justify massive spending on new locks.

Some lawmakers want to include amendments to reform how the Army Corps of Engineers prioritizes its projects, some of which have been called wasteful.

"Congress must provide the leadership to pass long-overdue reforms so that we can better protect our communities and our environment, in a fiscally responsible manner," said Sen. John McCain, R-AZ. "It would be deeply irresponsible to allow the Corps to continue business as usual in light of everything we've learned."

But the bill has strong bipartisan support, especially from lawmakers in states benefiting from the bill. Besides the river projects, the measure includes billions for restoration of the Florida Everglades and the Louisiana coastline.

Date: 7/21/06

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