On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013 (WRRDA), a reform-minded, fiscally responsible bill that strengthens our nation’s water transportation network by providing transparent oversight, cutting government red tape, and allocating critical funding to support ports and waterways. No such water resources development legislation has been enacted since 2007.
“WRRDA is fiscally responsible and simply makes government work better for taxpayers,â€Â said Bucshon. “It provides much-needed oversight of the Army Corps of Engineers, streamlines the environmental review process, and consolidates duplicative analyses of projects that have delayed important infrastructure improvements for over 15 years.  These types of delays have cost our economy billions of dollars and have put the United States a competitive disadvantage.â€
WRRDA promotes common-sense reforms that expedite the permit review process to 3 years, previously at 15 years, and consolidate duplicative, wasteful analyses that have unnecessarily cost valuable resources. It also contains no earmarks, deauthorizes $12 billion of old, inactive projects, and has a baseline expenditure that is $15 billion less than the 2007 enacted WRDA bill. Finally, WRRDA will undoubtedly help Southwestern Indiana through its investment in maintenance and funding for ports, like our very own Mt. Vernon Port, that are often underfunded.
“WRRDA will provide additional funding for ports and waterways, like the Mt. Vernon Port,â€Â said Bucshon. “The Mt. Vernon port has several businesses headquartered on its property and is vitally important for Southern Indiana’s economic competitiveness, prosperity, and growth. A well-functioning water transportation system is critical for their success now and in the future. I’m pleased to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this important legislation.â€
BACKGROUND:
The Mt. Vernon Port in Southwestern Indiana handles between 3 and 5 million tons annually, and is ranked as the 6th largest inland port in the US by ton-miles.
International trade represents one-third of the U.S. GDP and 99 percent of international trade is handled through our nation’s ports supporting 30 million jobs and providing an annual $200 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue.
Bucshon serves a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that unanimously passed H.R. 3080 on September 19, 2013.
H.R. 3080 passed 417 to 3.
Extreme +1
On this,when actually building for impending climate change methodology and process must be expedient. Time is not our friend with this issue.
This action for climate change, is the single most important contact point on an economic recovery on this continent to date.
The prime examples for port improvements forward are also in recovery from climate change relative issue right now they have mandated planning also,blending the abilities of the nation to build forward for storm recovery and advanced waterway management systems for that can only expedite the funding process.
The gathering in of funding focus on our water ways and port facilities global trade points is long overdue. When researching just how the nation can prepare the United States for standing climate change applications moved forward,these very steps taken on, set the streamlining for positive movement forward.
Think about New Orleans,Mobile,New York,New Jersey The Chesapeake delta, The whole inter coastal water way down the east coast,Cities and metros like Charleston,Savannah, all the EPA CSO mandated metros!
The west coast,Puget sound,San Francisco,San Diego,Long Beach. Anything done to improve sustainability is far behind some other nations in the concepts forward to allocate funding for adjustment plans into climate change actions.
As an Inland port Southern Indiana is huge in its overall impacts. What I have been touting for an improved throughput infrastructure also designed to address and accept environmental sustainability moved forward.
The next rapidly effective solution pathway on carbon stability and sustainable reduction lays in improving the railroads on the North American continent.
Look at your south wind facility,Put some eyes on that, think of just how blending the rails moved forward can decrease the carbon foot print and move local highway system forward with throughput forward as well.
Its throughput infrastructure streamlining for carbons sustainability,by timing and load ton transported per fuel expended per/mile to overseas export/import trade facilities. (The U.S. is failing on this point)
That port is a very LARGE carbon footprint,and it is one you can easily change for the better.
As of late we tend consume ourselves with social issues and “an roundabout congestion of thought” on how we can improve the blending of that as a society,wrong trending. “Find a working pathway.”*
The answer is the solution, Trending to identify,conceptualize and build and sustain environmental stability through innovation applied to, and driving the enterprise that gives that the required thrust to achieve an higher social altitude for any general population,anywhere on the planet.* 🙂
orcae ita
pretty straight forward.
Sounds great. Our river infrastructure has been lacking funding for decades. Our dams are behind on maintenance and upgrading. Get this passed!
I would like to know what’s the current status of the proposed slack water port idea for the Howell Rail Yards district. Wasn’t that the whole purpose of the Chamber’s trip to Savannah last year?
Rails: Fill me in on that concept for the Howell Rail yard.
Slack water management is used up river and down already. I am interested due to the mention of Savannah, They have some CSO things to fix too. I see some blending on the horizon….
Cooperation in your area nearby downstream,is probably the solution with what the standing infrastructure offers now. Rails have the best numbers in sequestration footprints/ mile.
River traffic with some innovation can approach that,In time to actual market the rail system gets the ribbon over barge transfer.
With improved processes at the rivers locks that could speed up the impacts forward for overseas connections.
I have an idea conceptualization that would involve both transportation systems,and the locks,plus save the timing process forward, Extends the use of the locks and dams sites but knocks real time off the passage to the sea ports,saves and controls the carbon foot print immensely and increases the use of Railways. Creates sustainable localized jobs,through the process applications.
Its not an new concept,the Dutch used it back as far as the 16th century.
Works, trouble is even they,the Dutch,have built themselves away from the solution.
Progress,or is it really? Sure would work today,the advanced technology makes the process method reinvents itself and moves forward towards carbon sequestration. 🙂
Rails: Your, local Chamber,probably, was not presented what was suggested for Savannah, I just cannot fathom them letting that outta the bag. Just yet. (Smart commerce)
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