Ag Policy Blog

Talking with farm reporters Wednesday morning, Sen. Charles Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, said he understands the full Senate will take up the latest version of the Water Resources Development Act in April.

The bill passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last week in a unanimous vote, which is practically a stunning feat in the recent history of Congress.

The WRDA bill reauthorizes projects in a long waiting list for construction and maintenance, but also includes some language to improve the efficiency of construction for projects on rivers, particularly the Mississippi River. Grassley cited a study pointing out $54 billion worth of agricultural products are shipped annually up and down the Mississippi.

"These rivers are very important to the economy of the upper Midwest," Grassley said.

Grassley said he hasn't had a chance to specifically read the bill that came out of committee so he can't say exactly what amendments he may want to add to the legislation.

Grassley noted funding is a two-step process with authorization of projects in the WRDA bill and then the appropriations process taking its course to pay for projects. "If you want to make appropriations easy you have got to get this authorization bill through," Grassley said. "Appropriators are always using the excuse that you can't spend money if it's not authorized."

Grassley cited that one of the keys to a successful WRDA bill this year is whether there is more funding. Inland shippers have advocated for a 9-cent increase in the self-imposed fuel tax they pay, which is now 20 cents a gallon.

"I believe there is kind of a consensus that there's got to be more revenue coming in to get appropriations," Grassley said. "I don't want to say the nine cents is going to be a problem or not, but I just think unless it runs into an anti-tax movement -- and that would be a general anti-tax movement -- I would think that there's a general consensus among farmers and among barge people that there has to be an increase in revenue."

Last week, however, Rep Bill Schuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told inland waterway shippers they may want to look at "plan B" because Republicans in the House are unwilling to raise any taxes, even if the people who pay it ask for the increase.

Grassley's push to ensure more funding is added to the WRDA bill is comparable to at least some Democrats in the Senate, though Grassley said he wasn't familiar with a comparable bill introduced by Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., that would boost the fuel tax to help pay for projects.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding General of the Army Corps of Engineers, told members of the Waterways Council last week that the nation's leadership needs to put more attention on waterway infrastructure. Currently, the Corps' budget leaves the country with a long list of projects facing deferred maintenance. It spells future disaster, Bostick said.

"Something has to fall," he said. "I don't know where and I don't know when, but we have to decide if we are going to invest in our infrastructure."

I can be found on Twitter @ChrisClaytonDTN.

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