Weekly News Summary for April 2-8, 2007:
Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) told representatives of the barge and towing industry that she doesn’t know too much about current reform efforts aimed at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but does know that her ideas for the Corps of the future “don’t include some of the things I’ve heard from this reform initiative.”
“For example, I don’t support changes that further delay an already lengthy, heavily scrutinized project development process or add costs to already expensive projects,” Granger said at the legislative summit sponsored by the National Waterways Conference March 21 in Washington, D.C. “And I will not support the creation of new, quasi-agencies—in essence new bureaucracies—to oversee and direct Corps policy.”
The six-term congresswoman said that overseeing Corps policy is “the (defense) secretary’s job and, in my view, we should just simply hold him responsible and accountable for doing it.”
Turning to the Water Resources Development Act, Granger said that by not passing a WRDA bill in seven years, “many worthwhile and important water projects have not yet been authorized. Like all of you, I have been paying especially close attention to this legislation and am hoping this might be the year it will be signed into law by the president.”
The House bill, H.R. 1495, which authorizes approximately $14 billion for water resources studies and construction projects by the Corps, was approved March 15 by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee….
Further integrating navigable waterways into the nation’s transportation network was the objective of about 40 transportation professionals from state, federal and private sectors at the Standing Committee on Water Transportation (SCOWT) of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) meeting last month.
The objectives outlined in the Washington, D.C., meeting were to identify priority objectives for federal action, develop advocacy strategy to achieve objectives, and initiate partnerships with organizations having similar objectives, according to a press release.
Presentations to help foster a cohesive water and freight approach were made by U.S. Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton; Jean Godwin, vice president and general counsel for the American Association of Ports Authorities (AAPA), Goeff Bowman, professional staff member of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment; and Let Mon Lee, a staffer for Sen. Christopher Bond (R-Mo.), who is chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee.
Other speakers included Tony Furst of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s National Freight Policy office; Mark Pointon of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Operations and Navigation office; National Waterways Conference President Worth Hager; Arno Hart, whose RNO Group authored the “Smart Rivers Report”; and Alan Myers of Cambridge Systematics, which is working on the next edition of AASHTO’s Bottom Line Report….
The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) awarded a $402,000 grant to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority to establish a museum in its headquarters in Columbus, Miss.
Agnes Zaiontz, office manager for authority, originally applied to MDOT for a $535,000 grant. The goal of the museum is to raise $1 million between grants and outside contributions to complete the project.
The authority hopes to open the museum in 2008, Zaiontz said. “We’re hoping to coordinate it with the 50-year anniversary,” she added.
The museum will highlight the uniqueness of the waterways with its lock and dam system and will incorporate artifacts and information from rail and highway transportation.
Visitors to the museum will include tourists, school groups, researchers, families, civic and cultural groups.
The museum will show the evolution of the Tenn-Tom region’s transportation system with emphasis on the waterway. Included will be historical items obtained from the Smithsonian Institution and from state and federal archives. The exhibits in the museum will change periodically to provide a continuing source of new information….
Fifteen barges loaded with coal were recovered by 6:30 p.m. March 23 from Racine Locks and Dam, Letart, W.Va., after being let loose from the 3,600 hp. mv. Enid Dibert.
The Enid Dibert, a twin-screw towboat owned by Crounse Corporation, lost its steering power about 6 a.m. due to a mechanical error with its flanking rudders. The accident is being investigated, lock officials said.
The boat was downbound and let its barges loose as it approached the dam, said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokeswoman Kathy Rey.
The boat was then tied to the side of the lock as the barges drifted down and collided with the dam, said U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer John Grez….
Two more arrests were made in connection with the theft of $100,000 worth of parts, tools and equipment from Ingram Barge Company (WJ February 29).
Arrested March 27, were Winford Brewer and Mike Cornwell, owners of More Power Diesel Inc., a Paducah, Ky., diesel engine repair and rebuilding enterprise. The firm serves area river firms from a facility near the city’s many drydocks and repair centers along the Tennessee River. Brewer and Cornwell are accused of buying thousands of dollars worth of equipment, allegedly stolen from Ingram Barge Company over a several-year period.
McCracken County Sheriff’s detective R. J. Caskey told the Paducah Sun that More Power Diesel had been a business partner with Ingram Barge Company, buying engines and rebuilding them for resale. Brewer and Cornwell were arrested for buying more than $7,000 worth of fuel injectors allegedly stolen from Ingram by a theft ring involving four former, long-term Ingram boat crew members and service personnel including the manager of vessel overhauls….
The Waterways Journal encourages letters to the editor.
Have something on your mind?
Send letters to: jshoulberg@waterwaysjournal.net.
(Please indicate whether or not your letter is intended for publication.)
