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Articles by Tracy Zea
The Inland Waterways Users Board: A Lamentable Board Lapse
NewsWater & DamsEnvironmentViewpoint The most important advisory body concerning the nation’s inland waterways infrastructure is the Inland Waterways Users board, a Congressionally mandated, non-discretionary advisory committee established in the 1980 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and codified in federal regulations. Comprised of users and payers of the inland waterways system, the users board does not appropriate funds.
Defunct Inland Waterways Users Board May be Dubious
The most important advisory body concerning the Nation’s inland waterways infrastructure is the Inland Waterways Users Board (IWUB), a Congressionally mandated, non-discretionary advisory committee established in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 and codified by 33 U.S.C. § 2251.
INCO: A New Approach to Inland Waterways Modernization
As the national public policy organization that advocates for a modern, reliable, efficient inland waterways and ports system, Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) continually seeks ways to improve the delivery of inland waterways navigation projects managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Inland Waterways Infrastructure: The Time Is Now
As Americans do each year, with 2026 just the same, we are hopeful for a more promising year, with better outcomes and calmer seas. But for construction of the Nation’s inland waterways lock and dam infrastructure, there is a strong sense of urgency like never before. Since 1987, just 10 projects to modernize or expand locks on the inland waterways system have been completed, with seven of them started and finished between 1987 and 1997 at an average cost overrun of 33%.
Op-Ed: Government shutdown-The cost of congressional inaction
Tracy Zea. By Tracy Zea, President & CEO, Waterways Council Inc. (WCI) Niels Bohr, the Danish theoretical physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922, said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” While he may have been referring to physics, this could not be more pertinent to current-day politics as well. At press time, the federal government is in a shutdown, with federal workers furloughed.
USACE Funding Better Than Zero, But A
On May 15, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Work Plan that allocated funds from the FY25 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act. That bill provided funding for the Corps’ Civil Works mission, typically funded in the annual Energy and Water Development appropriations bill.
Time To Remedy Inefficiency In
The members of Waterways Council, Inc., (WCI) the national organization that advocates for a modern, efficient, well-maintained system of ports and inland waterways, recently met in Washington, DC with Members of the 119th Congress to discuss WCI key and related priorities for 2025.
A Cautionary Tale For Increased
Demopolis Lock—which suffered a recent catastrophic failure—is a cautionary tale for other locks and those in Congress and the White House who may fail to see the urgency and importance of investing in the inland waterways system. The nation’s inland waterways lock and dam infrastructure, largely constructed in the 1930s, has seen modernization and rehabilitation across the system, albeit very slowly. Despite those efforts, lock failures continue, and the risk of failure persists.
20 Years Of Success And Still More To Come
Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) recently held its annual Washington, D.C. meetings that included a Capitol Hill fly-in. WCI members from across the country participated in 100 meetings with House and Senate members to advocate for the nation’s inland waterways to ensure its reliability by modernizing its infrastructure.
Inland Waterways: Yesterday’s price is not today’s price
August 11, 2022 Inland, Op-Eds Written by By Tracy Zea, WCI President and CEO Anyone who’s shopped for groceries, dined at restaurants, paid rent or pretty much purchased anything these past months knows we are facing economic challenges unprecedented to many of us. Surging prices for everything hurled inflation to a new four-decade peak in June. According to Moody’s Analytics, it’s costing the average American household an additional $327/month, totaling $4,000/year.
Riding A Good News
The inland waterways have enjoyed several positive developments toward modernization of the system, particularly over the last two years. Annual appropriations that fund the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works mission have been steadily on the rise for the last nine fiscal years, specifically the Construction and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) accounts have been funded at historic levels.
Inland Waterways: Celebrating a once-in-a-generation success
December 17, 2021 Inland, Legislation Written by By Tracy Zea, President/CEO, Waterways Council Inc. After months of negotiations and high political drama, late on the night of November 5, the House of Representatives passed the Senate-passed infrastructure bill (H.R. 3684, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) otherwise known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework.
WRDA 2020 Winds Its Way To Passage
January 12, 2021 In early October, Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI) reported in its newsletter Capitol Currents that the future of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 hung in the balance, with many unknowns for its chances of being signed into law during the Lame Duck session of Congress that just concluded in late December.
US Inland Waterways: Cheer The Year!
By Tracy Zea December 18, 2020 As we head toward the end of a very chaotic and COVID-filled 2020 and try to reflect on the positives, the inland waterways had a pretty good year overall. Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), whose members depend on a modern, efficient inland waterways system, offers this look back, with hopes ahead for the passage of a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) 2020 with our construction cost-share adjustment priority in the lame duck session of Congress.
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