 |
| NCGA sent letters
to members of the House of Representatives this week urging
them to cosponsor a bill that authorizes new locks. |
NCGA Urges House Members to Support Locks Bills
(7-22-04)
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Dee Vaughan on Wednesday urged members of the House of Representatives to support lock modernization on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers by signing on as cosponsors of H.R. 4785, the companion bill to Senate legislation that calls for the construction of seven new locks.
In a letter sent to more than 50 House members, Vaughan said all growers are impacted by the inefficiency of the Mississippi River system, even though not all producers ship their products to the river. The price of grain a farmer receives at his home market is based on the price of grain that moves on the Mississippi River to the export markets, the letter said.
“If Congress does not reinvest in the inland waterways system, all farmers will suffer as transportation costs will increase, export opportunities will decline and prices at the home market will fall,” the letter stated.
The international competitiveness of U.S. farmers hinges on an efficient transportation infrastructure, according to Vaughan. Economic studies suggest failure to upgrade the aging locks system could result in a 17-cent-per-bushel price decline and a net loss of $562 million in farm income.
In addition to the economic significance of the river, more than 440,000 jobs are connected to the Upper Mississippi River Basin alone, Vaughan said. He added that a lock modernization initiative would create even more employment opportunities. “Lock construction would generate 48 million man hours of work,” he wrote. “Unless the locks are modernized, this nation could lose more than 30,000 jobs.”
NCGA supports modernization of the navigation system and an increased environmental investment in the river. The association recently issued a legislative alert urging growers to voice their support for new locks and to send comments on the Corps’ preferred alternative.
To view the NCGA letter, click here