Page 13: of Marine News Magazine (March 2005)

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March, 2005 • MarineNews 13

Inland Insights

Released on February 7, President

Bush's FY 2006 proposed budget requests the highest funding for the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers Civil Works program in many years.

It demonstrates the Bush Administra- tion's increasing understanding of the myriad benefits of the nation's inland waterways system and the need to nurture, not neglect, this critically important trans- portation system. The budget request underscores the President's goal to keep the Nation economically strong and com- petitive.

This budget request of $4.513 billion proposes FY '06 spending of $184 million from the dedicated Inland Waterways

Trust Fund (IWTF) for the modernization of priority, Congressionally-approved locks and dams on the inland system.

This allocation meets Waterways Council,

Inc.'s recommendation to spend at least $150 million per year over the next seven to eight years from the Inland Waterways

Trust Fund. During the 1990s the Trust

Fund surplus grew to about $400 million.

Annual revenues from taxes on towboats operating on America's inland navigation system are about $100 million annually.

The President's budget request is the high- est funding recommendation for IWTF funded projects since cost-sharing legisla- tion was enacted into law in 1986. As required under current law, these Trust

Fund expenditures will be matched by general revenue treasury funds.

Waterways carriers, shippers, port authorities and companies which use the nation's waterways to transport essential bulk commodities such as coal, grain, petroleum and chemicals valued at more than $31 billion annually rely upon a well-maintained and modern national sys- tem of ports and waterways. "We are very pleased with the Presi- dent's increasing recognition of the impor- tance of the inland and coastal waterways and ports as a national transportation and economic engine," said R. Barry Palmer,

President & CEO of Waterways Council,

Inc. "We are in the early stages of evalu- ating budget request for the planning, con- struction, and operation and maintenance of inland navigation system's needs, but we are very encouraged by the recogni- tion of the Administration's continuing understanding of the critical value of this transportation system while reflecting the priorities of a Nation at war," he contin- ued.

Upon release of the budget, Principal

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works John Paul Woodley, Jr. said, "This is very much a performance

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Bush Budget Highlights Marine Transport

R. Barry PalmerGeorge W. Bush

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