President Barack Obama signed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) into law on Tuesday, meaning that lock and dam projects along the Mississippi River may receive more funding.
One of the provisions included in WRRDA is the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, which helps pay for project construction and rehabilitation and is funded by a fuel tax put on commercial shipping companies that use the rivers. For years, most of that money has gone towards the Olmsted Dam project on the Ohio River in Illinois. That construction has taken billions of dollars and much more time than expected.
With WRRDA signed into law, more money will be shifted away from Olmsted and possibly towards lock and dam maintenance on the Mississippi River.
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Mike Toohey is president and CEO of Waterways Council, an inland water advocacy group. He said he’s pleased more construction projects can finally move forward, especially with the growing concerns about aging infrastructure.
“It’s progress,” he said. “Before, we were looking at not being able to address the upper Mississippi modernization until the 2090s. Now, we should be able to get this done much sooner.”
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman said he’s not sure how much money will go towards lock and dam projects. Congress is currently working final appropriations out. The Corps also is waiting to hear if money can only be spent on rehabilitation, or if it can finance new projects.
The commercial shipping industry has offered to pay a higher Inland Waterways Trust Fund fuel tax to pay for lock and dam projects, but those efforts have failed in Congress.
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