Tuesday 8 November 2005
Congressman Alan B. Mollohan
2346 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515-4801
www.house.gov/mollohan/
RE: Corps report to Congress due 31 March 2004 re operating upper Mon locks from Point Marion lock
Dear Congressman Mollohan:
I understand that one or more authorization and/or appropriations bills in the House and Senate may contain language for lockage metrics that guide funding and hours of operation for locks.
I cannot locate via online search any bills with such language. Therefore, I ask your help in locating lockage metrics language in any pending bills.
We suggest that Congress perhaps adopt the simplest lockage metric that seems most logical, ie, the yearly total of all lockages through a lock, for all boats, recreational or commercial. After all, the effort required by the lock operator and the wear and tear on the locks, is about the same regardless whether a single canoe or a large chamber-filling tow is being locked through.
The only lockage metrics document we found via online search is the Corps of Engineers NAD-SAD FY07 Navigation Metrics PDT dated 14 December 2004. Captain Mike Ferris of our River Navigation Coalition found this document.
Our "lock hours" effort to keep our three Upper Mon in WV locks (and Upper Allegheny in PA locks) open for recreational boating, begun in February 2000, may be accessed at our UPPERMON.ORG website under menu item Lock Hours.
Please also note CERRUS also located under the Lock Hours menu item. This is the Corps of Engineers and River Recreational Users Summit initiative begun last spring by the Pittsburgh District of the US Army Corps of Engineers. We applaud this Pittsburgh District initiative! We also appreciate, as you can see by visiting UpperMon.org, that the Pittsburgh District is working with us recreational boating folks, to the extent that they can do so for recreational boating season lock hours , given that federal law does not require that they so do!!
Please also from our homepage check out MonRiverSummit.org, especially the Archives at bottom of that homepage. The Archives relate to the activities of the Mon River Recreation & Commerce Committee, a VISION 2020 committee of our Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce.
Another good website for recreational boating information within the area served by the Pittsburgh District is AnchorsAweighMagazine.com. Note connections to River Navigation Coalition, Pirates of the Allegheny, and, Boaters are Voters.
Your help with lockage metrics in any Congressional bills will be most appreciated.
Sincerely,
Donald Strimbeck, Secretary
Upper Monongahela River Association, Inc.
cc via FAX:
Senator Byrd: 202-224-3954 & 304-342-5855; FAX 202-228-0002
& 304-343-7144.
Senator Rockefeller: 202-224-6472 & 304-367-0122; FAX
202-224-7665 & 304-367-0822.
Congressman Rahall: 202-225-3452 & 304-522-6425; FAX
202-225-3402 & 304-529-5716.
Congressman Murtha: 202-225-2065 & 814-535-2642; FAX
202-225-5709 & 814-539-6229.