Text: HCR00108 Text: HCR00110 Text: HCR00100 - HCR00199 Text: HCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. ___
1 2 BY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
1 3 (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 542)
1 4 (COMPANION TO SCR 104 BY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE)
1 5 A Concurrent Resolution urging the United States
1 6 Congress provide funding for the modernization of
1 7 lock and dam infrastructure on the Upper Mississippi
1 8 and Illinois Rivers Inland Waterways Transportation
1 9 System.
1 10 WHEREAS, over 360 miles of the Upper Mississippi
1 11 River and 11 navigation locks and dams are contained
1 12 on the border of or in the state of Iowa; and
1 13 WHEREAS, there are approximately 70 manufacturing
1 14 facilities, terminals, and docks on the waterways of
1 15 Iowa, providing thousands of jobs in this state; and
1 16 WHEREAS, the construction of the lock and dam
1 17 system has spurred economic growth and a higher
1 18 standard of living in the Mississippi and Illinois
1 19 river basin, and today supplies more than 300 million
1 20 tons of the nation's cargo, supporting more than
1 21 400,000 jobs, including 90,000 in manufacturing; and
1 22 WHEREAS, more than 60 percent of American
1 23 agricultural exports including corn, wheat, and
1 24 soybeans are shipped down the Mississippi and Illinois
1 25 rivers to foreign markets; and
1 26 WHEREAS, Iowa agricultural producers, industry, and
1 27 consumers rely on efficient transportation to remain
1 28 competitive in a global economy, with efficiencies in
1 29 river transport offsetting higher costs compared to
1 30 those incurred by foreign competitors; and
2 1 WHEREAS, the Upper Mississippi and Illinois lock
2 2 and dam system annually saves our nation more than
2 3 $1.5 billion in higher transportation costs; and
2 4 WHEREAS, approximately 17 million tons of
2 5 commodities and products including grain, coal,
2 6 chemicals, and aggregates are annually shipped to,
2 7 from, and within Iowa by barge, representing $2.7
2 8 billion in value; and
2 9 WHEREAS, shippers moving by barge in Iowa realize
2 10 an annual savings of approximately $170 million
2 11 compared to other transportation modes; and
2 12 WHEREAS, Iowa docks ship commodities and products
2 13 by barge to 14 states and receive commodities and
2 14 products from 18 states; and
2 15 WHEREAS, river transportation is the most
2 16 environmentally benign form of transporting
2 17 commodities and products, creating minimal levels of
2 18 noise pollution, and emitting 35 to 60 percent fewer
2 19 pollutants than trucks or trains, according to the
2 20 United States Environmental Protection Agency; and
2 21 WHEREAS, decreasing river transport capacity would
2 22 add millions of trucks and railcars to our nation's
2 23 transportation infrastructure, dramatically increasing
2 24 air pollution, traffic congestion, and highway
2 25 maintenance costs; and
2 26 WHEREAS, lakes and wildlife refuge created by the
2 27 lock and dam system provide habitat and breeding
2 28 grounds for migratory waterfowl and fish; and
2 29 WHEREAS, the lakes and 500 miles of wildlife refuge
2 30 along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois river basin
3 1 support a $1 billion-a-year recreational industry,
3 2 including hunting, fishing, and tourism; and
3 3 WHEREAS, many of Iowa's locks and dams are more
3 4 than 60 years old and only 600 feet in length, making
3 5 them unable to accommodate modern barge tows of up to
3 6 1,200 feet long, nearly tripling locking times and
3 7 causing lengthy delays and ultimately increasing
3 8 shipping costs; and
3 9 WHEREAS, the use of 1,200-foot locks has been
3 10 proven nationwide as the best method of improving
3 11 efficiency, reducing congestion and modernizing inland
3 12 waterways; and
3 13 WHEREAS, failing to construct 1,200-foot locks will
3 14 force agricultural producers and industry to use more
3 15 expensive alternative modes of transportation,
3 16 including road and rail systems; and
3 17 WHEREAS, according to the United States Army Corps
3 18 of Engineers, congestion along the Upper Mississippi
3 19 and Illinois rivers costs agricultural producers and
3 20 consumers in the basin $98 million per year in higher
3 21 transportation costs; and
3 22 WHEREAS, upgrading the system of locks and dams on
3 23 the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers will provide
3 24 3,000 construction and related jobs over a 15-year to
3 25 20-year period; NOW THEREFORE,
3 26 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE
3 27 SENATE CONCURRING, That the General Assembly
3 28 recognizes the importance of the Upper Mississippi and
3 29 Illinois Rivers Inland Transportation System to the
3 30 economic prosperity and ecological vitality of the
4 1 state, the region, and the nation, and urges the
4 2 United States Congress to provide immediate funding to
4 3 modernize its lock and dam infrastructure.
4 4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the
4 5 House of Representatives send copies of this
4 6 concurrent resolution to the President of the United
4 7 States; the Chief of Engineers and Commander of the
4 8 United States Corps of Engineers; the President of the
4 9 United States Senate; the Speaker of the United States
4 10 House of Representatives; the Chair of the Senate
4 11 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation;
4 12 the Chair of the United States Senate Committee on
4 13 Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; the Chair of the
4 14 House of Representatives Committee on Transportation
4 15 and Infrastructure; the Chair of the United States
4 16 House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture; and
4 17 Iowa's congressional delegation.
4 18 LSB 6010HV 79
4 19 da/pj/5
Text: HCR00108 Text: HCR00110 Text: HCR00100 - HCR00199 Text: HCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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