Page 21: of Marine News Magazine (April 2011)

20 22

www.marinelink.com MN 21 petitiveness in the world market, to environmental protection, to energy efficiency, to the maintaining well- paying American jobs and to conges- tion relief.

Our farmers and other shippers simply cannot get their goods to mar- ket in the most competitive way with- out the use of the waterways.

America’s customers — the other countries buying our grain and soy- beans, coal and steel — don’t care which country they buy them from, they just want the best price.

Economics 101.

More than 200 stakeholders includ- ing members of the environmental conservation community, the U.S.

Chamber of Commerce, the National

Association of Manufacturers, indus- try shippers and users, energy compa- nies, and more have endorsed a plan that would allow the completion of navigation projects on time, on budg- et and in a more efficient way than ever before so that the export chal- lenges now and in the future can be met. Known as the Inland Waterways

Capital Development Plan, this com- prehensive, consensus-based package of recommendations addresses the needs to improve the continued vital- ity of the U.S. inland navigation sys- tem as a way forward to assure more reliable waterways infrastructure. It was developed over an 18-month period by the Inland Marine

Transportation System Investment

Strategy Team, composed of key U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers personnel and members of the Users Board.

For a copy of the full report and rec- ommendations, and to endorse the plan, visit Waterways Council’s web (www.waterwayscouncil.org).

While our government seemingly fails to appreciate the importance of the nation’s waterways infrastructure,

American consumers will grow to understand this when they pay higher costs for electricity, or fuel, building materials for their homes, or even breakfast cereal. And other nations will eventually look to other countries for their imports.

We cannot let this happen. Urge your policy-makers in Washington to invest in waterways infrastructure to keep America moving!