Earl Blumenauer: “we heard earlier today that there is a need to have a massive investment in the lock system in the Mississippi River to…”

“we heard earlier today that there is a need to have a massive investment in the lock system in the Mississippi River to avoid having product move up and down in trucks. That is not the issue. The problem that we are facing now is that more and more of the grain and other agricultural product are being shipped by truck and rail because it needs to get to locations not served by the Mississippi River system. This has been shown by the Congressional Research Service and the National Academy of Science. The bill that is coming before us for a vote next week would be the Nation's most expensive waterway project and would siphon off 10 to 15 percent of all core construction funding for years, perhaps decades, to come, for an area where the barge traffic is actually going down. I strongly urge my colleagues to support the amendment that the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) and I are offering that would allow the project to go forward only if the minimum standards that make it economically viable are, in fact, met over the next 3 years. ____________________”