Political Quotes

“our water resources contribute mightily to our Nation's economic at environmental well-being. Ports and waterways are integral to our national transportation system that contribute $718 billion to the Nation's gross domestic product while ensuring domestic and international trade opportunities and safe, low-cost and eco-friendly transportation of import products. While some consider it an anachronism in the age of e-commerce, the system remains vital to a broad swath of the economy, carrying everything from consumer goods, steel, coal, fertilizer, salt, sand, gravel, cement, petroleum and chemicals, to the wax for coating milk cartons. The U.S. maritime transportation system moves more than 60 percent of the Nation's grain exports and 95 percent of the Nation's imports. We cannot be competitive in world trade if we don't maintain efficient and reliable transportation. Much of the infrastructure was built early in the last century. It's showing the effects of time and, according to some, of neglect. Old equipment takes longer to repair, and it's more vulnerable to nature's extremes. Earlier this year, unusually heavy winter rains swelled rivers and caused a series of accidents, including one on the Ohio River in which a towboat pushing six barges sank after passing through a lock near Industry, PA.…”