Southern Illinois Ports Pitch New District

Ten river ports in southern Illinois are the latest grouping to apply to be formally recognized by the Corps of Engineers as a port statistical district. The grouping would operate as the Southern Illinois Regional Ports Commission (SIRPC). It’s a trend that a number of smaller ports and terminals in the middle and upper Midwest have been pursuing in recent years. They are following the lead of other recently formed unified statistical port districts in the state, such as the Corn Belt Ports.

A Port Statistical Area (PSA) is defined as, “A region with formally justified shared economic interests and collective reliance on infrastructure related to waterborne movements of commodities that is formally recognized by legislative enactments of state, county or city governments.”

Proponents and supporters say that such cooperation and recognition offer multiple advantages, from better marketing to increased opportunities to access federal development grants based on a more representative and accurate aggregation of regional freight data.

According to the Quad Cities Business Journal (QCBJ), since the Corn Belt Ports was launched to attract federal investment to the upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterways, the region has welcomed $2 billion in infrastructure funding and is working to capture $500 million more over the next two years. The QCBJ credited “indefatigable former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commander and retired colonel Bob Sinkler,” former commander of the Rock Island Engineer District, who has spearheaded the efforts by regional ports to group themselves into statistical port district. Increased river port cooperation is also necessary because of the decline of barged coal tonnage in the region. Southern Illinois still produces coal, including for export. The region produced 36.87 million short tons in 2023 compared to 31.64 million in 2000. It was about twice that in 1990.

On August 8, Deb Barnett, executive director of Southern Illinois Now, sent a letter to Col. L. Reyn Mann, commander of the Louisville Engineer District, to formally apply for the designation.

“The proposed SIRPC consists of Jackson, Union, Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Pope, Hardin, Saline, Williamson and Johnson counties and the following riverfront townships in Gallatin County: all of the territory included in the civil townships of Upper New Haven Township, Lower New Haven Township, Shawnee Township, Gold Hill Township, Equality Township, Eagle Creek Township and Bowlesville Township, which aligns with the Shawneetown Regional Port District,” the letter read, in part.

Besides the Shawneetown Regional Port District, the area includes the Massac-Metropolis Port District and Alexander-Cairo Port District.

Chris Smith, director of operations for the Southern Illinois Port Commission and the Corn Belt Ports, gave testimony about the move before the Mississippi River Commission on August 22 as it kicked off its high-water inspection tour aboard the mv. Mississippi. He asked the MRC to support an application to the U.S. Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center to approve the grouping.

“We believe that this initiative will help bring the regional inland port system on Marine Highway 70 (east) and Marine Highway 55 (north) into closer regional alignment and strengthen the large inland port system,” he told MRC members.

Smith was the project manager assisting the southern Illinois ports and counties in forming “a modern, sustainable, rural, regional, multi-modal, inland partnership port … modeled after other regional ports on the inland waterway system.” Ports and terminals are finding that cooperation is the key to multiple advantages, from better marketing to increased opportunities to access federal development grants based on a more representative and accurate aggregation of regional data.

“The creation of the rural regional partnership port in southern Illinois will further align and amplify the collective regional priorities for increased investment in our multimodal transportation, natural and other infrastructure,” Smith said. “Ultimately this effort will support several regional economic development opportunities.”

Agriculture and port interests applauded the move. Douglas Aeilts, chair of the Mid-America Port Commission, said, “We are happy to assist southern Illinois and see further and continued regionalization of our inland port system serving rural areas in the Midwest beyond the tri-state area. Regional, multi-modal transportation infrastructure and approaches are what will continue to make our rural riverfront communities globally competitive.”

Travis McGlasson, chair of the Illinois Waterway Ports Commission, said, “We appreciate the opportunity to assist southern Illinois in creating a 10-riverfront county, modern, sustainable, rural, regional, multi-modal, inland partnership port similar to what we have in central and north central Illinois. We are committed to having a regional port system in Illinois that serves all of Illinois, and we are looking forward to working with our regional partners throughout the state to ensure every port region is a success.”

Todd Main, director of market development for the Illinois Soybean Association, said, “We are happy to see further regionalization of our port system serving rural Illinois. Regional multimodal transportation infrastructure and approaches are what will continue to make Illinois soybean producers and products globally competitive.”

“For Illinois to continue to be a top 10 waterborne commerce state, we will need both a modernized waterway system and a modern, multi-modal, rural, regional inland port system that serves Illinois corn growers throughout the state,” said Jim Tarmann, managing director of the Illinois Corn Growers Association and member of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board.

“Our two urban and four rural regional ports are what gives Illinois a global export advantage for our farmers,” said Rodney Knittel, associate director of transportation and infrastructure at the Illinois Farm Bureau. “The rural regional ports also provide the added benefit of being rural economic development engines for our riverfront communities. Regionally organizing the southern Illinois ports is a win for southern Illinois and the entire state.”