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Apr 02, 2020
Almost 80 Members of the House signed onto a letter to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee requesting lock and dam projects funded by Inland Waterways Trust Fund dollars be conformed to the 75%/25% shift that applies to most deep-draft ports.
The letter, led by Rep. Conor Lamb (D, PA) and Rep. Brian Babin (R, TX), showed both bipartisan and wide geographic support, with roughly 30 Democrats and close to 50 Republicans from 20 states participating.
ASA sent a call to action request out to its members last week encouraging calls and letters to Representatives in support of the funding formula and requesting Members sign on to the letter. Working in conjunction with the Waterways Council and other interested parties after the sign-on period was extended, requests for continued engagement were sent, and the number of House Members participating in the letter increased.
ASA supports changing the cost-share for Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF)-financed lock and dam projects to the formula used for deep draft ports—75% General Revenue and 25% IWTF—in the WRDA legislation. These changes would allow for finishing projects faster and reducing both final project cost and the amount of time communities must wait for the resulting economic benefits from projects.
