Local lock repair bill proposed
A bipartisan bill was introduced in the U.S. House on Friday that could help revive the stalled Chickamauga lock in Chattanooga.
U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, and Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, are proposing legislation to implement most of the barge industry recommendations to boost spending on locks and dams. The proposed Waterways Are Vital for the Economy, Energy, Efficiency, and Environment Act of 2012 (WAVE4 Act) would raise barge fuel taxes, boost taxpayer support for fixing dams and locks and reform the way the Army Corps of Engineers undertakes such projects.
“Our aging infrastructure jeopardizes efficient waterborne commerce and highlights the need for the WAVE4 Act that will implement a comprehensive plan to improve project management and put in place an objective investment strategy that will prioritize our infrastructure needs,” Whitfield said in introducing the legislation.
Costello said the act would reform the funding formula used by the Inland Waterways Trust Fund to pay for lock improvements, including construction of the $693 million new and bigger Chickamauga lock.