Page 21: of Marine News Magazine (June 2012)

well be left to crumble into the rivers. In the Pittsburgh region, where 220,000 jobs depend directly or indirect- ly on river transportation, an old infrastructure is well on its way to doing that. And once the river traffic is stopped for want of locks-and-dams funding, then all itscargo can be put on the roads. After that chaos unfolds, the anti-spending zealots will presumably want to defund the highways, too. On that day, jobless Americans will truly know what it's liked to be fleeced. But then, they can console them- selves that government spending is scant.? Enough said. Three Port Arthur Locations to Serve Your Needs In Port Arthur, Gulf Coppers facilities now include three fully operational yards, as well as corporate headquarters. Facilities provide dry-docking, fabrication, machining and more for offshore and inland tugs, towboats, barges and other types of commercial vessels and businesses that operate primarily on or near inland and coastal waterways. In addition to repairs, we can accommodate project staging and large-scale fabrications on the water for easy load-out and project decommissioning. Whatever your requirements, Gulf Copper has the people, experience and facilities to get your job done on time and on budget. To schedule a project call 281-599-8200 today or visit www.gulfcopper.com. MARINE | INDUSTRIAL | GOVERNMENT This is hardly a ?riverboat rip-off.? Spending on locks and dams no more pads the wallets of barge compa- nies than federal support of the national highway system pads the wallets of trucking firms or federal spending on airports pads the wallets of airlines