THE WATERWAYS JOURNAL December 19, 2011
WJ Editorial
As Deadlines Near, NWC Reiterates Waterway Needs - The Waterways Journal - 19
December 2011
With crucial budget deadlines drawing nearer with every breath,
National Waterways Conference president Amy W. Larson appeared
December 12 before the National Research Council Committee on U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Science, Engineering and
Planning to reiterate critical waterway needs of the United States.
Two common themes permeated her remarks. First, "The benefits
provided by the Corps' water resources projects are essential and
far exceed the cost of construction. operation, and maintenance,"
Larson said, "We need to find ways to provide continued funding and
[to] reverse the trend of starving the civil works budget to the
point of disrepair."
Second, "As we identify and define the Corps' various missions, we
must emphasize the agency's core competencies and comparative
advantage and, farther, that in many areas the Corps is the sole
federal provider of critical functions such as flood damage
reduction and navigation. If the civil works program is to continue
to exist — and surely it must — then we must provide the Corps the
tools it needs to perform its central function: the construction,
operation, and maintenance of water-resource projects for multiple
public benefits, including navigation. flood control, hydropower.
recreation, conservation, and water supply."
We must all acknowledge the importance of echoing repeatedly what
members of Congress need to know. Our hope is that they, ton, will
acknowledge it. As Larson made clear. "Reliable. well-maintained
water resources infrastructure is fundamental to America's economic
and environmental well-being, and is essential to maintaining our
competitive position within the glob-al economy." And readers have
all heard that before. too. But Larson's presentation contains
numerous waterway-related facts that do not get disseminated as
often as those about which we have written. So let us proceed to
data that can be useful in further working to convince congressional
delegates of the importance of the issue. We must remember that
demands on the Corps are increasing while the agency's budget
flounders.
• Water infrastructure investments are investments
in our nation's long-term security.
• There are 692 dams and more than 11,000 miles of
levees, which together prevent an average of $22 billion each year
in damages for a return on the nation's investment of more than ST
for each dollar spent. This year alone, the Mississippi River and
Tributaries Project prevented $108 billion in damages, Larson said.
It is one of the most successful public works projects in the
history of the U.S.
• Fully 238 lock chambers, 12,000 miles of
maintained
waterways and 926 harbors combine to handle 2.2 billion tons of
cargo and foreign commerce valued at $1.156 trillion.
• The Corps provides 68 billion kilowatt hours of
power generation worth S4 billion in gross revenue, and which is 24
percent of U.S. hydropower and 3 percent of total U.S. electric
capacity.
• Corps facilities have more outdoor recreational
visits each year than any other single provider - more even
than the National Park Service.
• Corps reservoirs provide 9.76 million acre-feet
of municipal and industrial water supply storage.
As it relates to navigation:
• More than 95 percent of our imports and exports
move through the nation's harbors. Waterborne commerce generates
$3.15 trillion annually, supporting more than 13 million jobs.
• The cost of transporting freight via waterways
is two to three times less than other transport modes, thus saving
American businesses S7 billion annually. Even when customers chose
other modes, the availability of water transport exerts pressure to
lower rates.
• In addition to being economically efficient and
environmentally sound, capacity is an important issue. Placing the
capacity of a single standard barge at 1,500 tons, a 15-barge tow
can move 22,500 tons, or the equivalent of 22.5 100-ton rail cars or
562.5 tractor trailers, each with a 40-ton capacity The use of rail
and trucks produce increased emissions and, with trucks, in-creased
congestion and safety concerns.
• Some 600 million tons of domestic cargo move
across the waterways annually, including 50 percent of the nation's
grain for export, 20 percent of coal, and 22 percent of petroleum
and related products.
• The president has set a goal of doubling U.S.
exports from 2010 to 2015, a goal that is essential for economic
growth but one that cannot be reached without an efficient and
effective transportation system.
Larson emphasized that if we fail to maintain waterways
infrastructure, we will eventually lose traffic on the rivers. "As
the Corps develops its operations and maintenance plans and bud-get
forecasts, it should use a scenario-based approach and assess the
risks of not improving our locks," Larson said.
The U.S. is not budgeting nearly enough money for waterways
infrastructure. If we allow the waterways system to continue to
deteriorate we will not be able to keep with competitors.
And we have to conclude that isn't a situation that President Obama
wants.