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WATERWAYS IN TROUBLE

The locks and dams on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers are among the most neglected segments of infrastructure in the United States, according to Garry Niemeyer, Auburn, IL grain producer and member of the board of directors for the National Corn Growers Association. The locks and dams were built in the 1930s and designed to withstand only 50 years of practical use.

For that reason, Niemeyer and the NCGA has lobbied for the past 15 years to pass legislature to update this vital system, specifically Mississippi River locks #20, 21, 22, 24 and 25, and the Illinois River’s Peoria and LaGrange locks. Yet, after more than a decade of campaigning, he describes the results of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as disappointing as attempts to appropriate these seven locks in the stimulus package failed.

A DISAPPOINTING OUTLOOK

Although nearly 20 percent of the $787 billion stimulus bill will be spent on infrastructure updates, the dams and locks are not eligible for funding because only projects that are “shovel ready” (meaning they must have already received the necessary approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers) will be appropriated.

Niemeyer thought he was on the right track when in 2007, after the first Water Resources Development Act to be passed in nearly seven years was signed; the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers projects received authorization from the Army Corps of Engineers. “After receiving authorization, many of us [lobbyists and congressmen] thought our job was done,” says Niemeyer. “We quickly learned, however, that authorization and appropriation are two very different terms.”

Now Niemeyer and others fighting to improve our waterways are back at square one. The $410 billion Omnibus bill, which the Senate approved on March 10, also failed to appropriate the locks and dams. Niemeyer is not exactly optimistic about the immediate outcome, but is hopeful for the future.

The NCGA is currently lobbying to secure funding for the locks and dams through the FY 2010 Appropriations Bill, which should be signed by the end of April.

“Unless we can change the ‘no new starts’ stipulation, it’s going to be difficult to get these projects off the ground,” he says. “One thing about our organization though is that new people always step up to the plate and accomplish the goals we’ve set the stage for, and we’re not giving up. “