Text: SSB03011 Text: SSB03013 Text: SSB03000 - SSB03099 Text: SSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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1 1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. ___
1 2 BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE RESOLUTION
1 3 BY CHAIRPERSON BEHN)
1 4 A Concurrent Resolution urging the United States
1 5 Congress provide funding for the modernization of
1 6 lock and dam infrastructure on the Upper Mississippi
1 7 and Illinois Rivers Inland Waterways Transportation
1 8 System.
1 9 WHEREAS, over 360 miles of the Upper Mississippi River and
1 10 11 navigation locks and dams are contained on the border of or
1 11 in the state of Iowa; and
1 12 WHEREAS, there are approximately 70 manufacturing
1 13 facilities, terminals, and docks on the waterways of Iowa,
1 14 providing thousands of jobs in this state; and
1 15 WHEREAS, the construction of the lock and dam system has
1 16 spurred economic growth and a higher standard of living in the
1 17 Mississippi and Illinois river basin, and today supplies more
1 18 than 300 million tons of the nation's cargo, supporting more
1 19 than 400,000 jobs, including 90,000 in manufacturing; and
1 20 WHEREAS, more than 60 percent of American agricultural
1 21 exports including corn, wheat, and soybeans are shipped down
1 22 the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to foreign markets; and
1 23 WHEREAS, Iowa agricultural producers, industry, and
1 24 consumers rely on efficient transportation to remain
1 25 competitive in a global economy, with efficiencies in river
1 26 transport offsetting higher costs compared to those incurred
1 27 by foreign competitors; and
1 28 WHEREAS, the Upper Mississippi and Illinois lock and dam
1 29 system annually saves our nation more than $1.5 billion in
1 30 higher transportation costs; and
1 31 WHEREAS, approximately 17 million tons of commodities and
1 32 products including grain, coal, chemicals, and aggregates are
1 33 annually shipped to, from, and within Iowa by barge,
1 34 representing $2.7 billion in value; and
1 35 WHEREAS, shippers moving by barge in Iowa realize an annual
2 1 savings of approximately $170 million compared to other
2 2 transportation modes; and
2 3 WHEREAS, Iowa docks ship commodities and products by barge
2 4 to 14 states and receive commodities and products from 18
2 5 states; and
2 6 WHEREAS, river transportation is the most environmentally
2 7 benign form of transporting commodities and products, creating
2 8 minimal levels of noise pollution, and emitting 35 to 60
2 9 percent fewer pollutants than trucks or trains, according to
2 10 the United States Environmental Protection Agency; and
2 11 WHEREAS, decreasing river transport capacity would add
2 12 millions of trucks and railcars to our nation's transportation
2 13 infrastructure, dramatically increasing air pollution, traffic
2 14 congestion, and highway maintenance costs; and
2 15 WHEREAS, lakes and wildlife refuges created by the lock and
2 16 dam system provide habitat and breeding grounds for migratory
2 17 waterfowl and fish; and
2 18 WHEREAS, the lakes and 500 miles of wildlife refuge along
2 19 the Upper Mississippi and Illinois river basin support a $1
2 20 billion-a-year recreational industry, including hunting,
2 21 fishing, and tourism; and
2 22 WHEREAS, many of Iowa's locks and dams are more than 60
2 23 years old and only 600 feet in length, making them unable to
2 24 accommodate modern barge tows of up to 1,200 feet long, nearly
2 25 tripling locking times and causing lengthy delays and
2 26 ultimately increasing shipping costs; and
2 27 WHEREAS, the use of 1,200-foot locks has been proven
2 28 nationwide as the best method of improving efficiency,
2 29 reducing congestion and modernizing inland waterways; and
2 30 WHEREAS, failing to construct 1,200-foot locks will force
2 31 agricultural producers and industry to use more expensive
2 32 alternative modes of transportation, including road and rail
2 33 systems; and
2 34 WHEREAS, according to the United States Army Corps of
2 35 Engineers, congestion along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois
3 1 rivers costs agricultural producers and consumers in the basin
3 2 $98 million per year in higher transportation costs; and
3 3 WHEREAS, upgrading the system of locks and dams on the
3 4 Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers will provide 3,000
3 5 construction and related jobs over a 15-year to 20-year
3 6 period; NOW THEREFORE,
3 7 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
3 8 CONCURRING, That the General Assembly recognizes the
3 9 importance of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers Inland
3 10 Transportation System to the economic prosperity and
3 11 ecological vitality of the state, the region, and the nation,
3 12 and urges the United States Congress to provide immediate
3 13 funding to modernize its lock and dam infrastructure.
3 14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Senate
3 15 send copies of this concurrent resolution to the President of
3 16 the United States; the Chief of Engineers and Commander of the
3 17 United States Corps of Engineers; the President of the United
3 18 States Senate; the Speaker of the United States House of
3 19 Representatives; the Chair of the Senate Committee on
3 20 Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the Chair of the United
3 21 States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and
3 22 Forestry; the Chair of the House of Representatives Committee
3 23 on Transportation and Infrastructure; the Chair of the United
3 24 States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture; and
3 25 Iowa's congressional delegation.
3 26 LSB 6010SC 79
3 27 da/pj/5
Text: SSB03011 Text: SSB03013 Text: SSB03000 - SSB03099 Text: SSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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