WATERWAYS COUNCIL, INC. URGES CONGRESS TO ACT ON MODERNIZING WATERWAYS PROJECTS TO PUT AMERICANS TO WORK

News Release Waterways Council, Inc. September 9, 2011

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ARLINGTON,
VA – Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) President & CEO Michael J. Toohey
has issued the following statement regarding last evening’s unveiling of
President Obama’s American Jobs Act.  WCI and
its members support the Nation’s waterways and its infrastructure as a way to
create family-wage jobs and enhance reliability of this transportation system
that can help the President achieve his stated goal of doubling U.S. exports in
the next four years: 
 
We appreciate
the President including inland waterways in his American Jobs Program. 
Investment in the waterways will put Americans back to work to build and
modernize 24
priority navigation projects that have been authorized by Congress.  
In fact, the waterways industry has developed a funding proposal – The Inland
Waterways Capital Development Plan – to help pay for this through a user fee
that fairly distributes the cost of modernization of this vital transportation
system.   With Congressional action these projects are ready to be
funded in the states of Ohio, West Virginia, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania,
Washington, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana and Missouri. 

 
With a nearly
20% unemployment rate in the construction industry, investment in our Nation’s
aging inland waterways transportation infrastructure will employ Americans in
family-wage jobs for the next 20 years on these priority projects. 
 
The construction
of more efficient locks and dams could also help continue to keep America
competitive in the world marketplace by increasing our exported products, a
natural boon to our economy and positive trade
balance.        
 
The
President, who spoke at a Labor Day rally in Detroit, said, “There is work to be
done and there are workers ready to do it…Labor is onboard, business is onboard;
we just need Congress to get onboard.  Let's put America back to
work.”
 
Indeed,
investing in the
Nation’s waterways transportation infrastructure and  the sectors and
systems that were once – and still remain -- the foundations for our country’s
growth, is a solution for increasing our exports and putting American workers
back on the job. 
 
We stand ready
to work with Congress on a bi-partisan basis to keep America moving for the
long-term.
 
Visit <A
href="redir.aspx?C=f30b46335d694c5783b58af6655f6126&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.waterwayscouncil.org"
target=_blank>www.waterwayscouncil.org</A> 
 
Waterways
Council, Inc. is the national public policy organization advocating a modern and
well-maintained national system of ports and inland waterways.  The group
is supported by more than 250 waterways carriers, shippers, port authorities,
shipping associations and waterways advocacy groups from all regions of the
country.  
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