U.S should’ve invested in infrastructure.
By Daniel at 24 October, 2009, 9:31 pm
We export a lot of grains. Our agriculture states ship grains to the world and we get tax revenues from those exports and we hire people for all kinds of export related businesses, like shipping on the rivers. Yet, our decades of not investing in infrastructure is catching up with us.
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A 440-mile stretch of the Ohio River reflects what’s wrong with moving commodities and other goods along the nation’s rivers.
First, there are the delays near the Markland Locks & Dam. A 280-ton gate fell off its hinge in late September in the lock downriver from Cincinnati. Repairs, which will take months, have already led to constant delays on the northeast portion of the Ohio River. It’s going to take several months to repair the lock gate, which already was scheduled for repairs next year.
About 433 miles down the Ohio River, just 20 miles from where it meets the Mississippi River, is another lock and dam project, the Olmsted Locks & Dam, that began construction before Bill Clinton was elected president but isn’t slated to be completed until 2018.
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Further down in the article they mention this.
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Brazil and Argentina are upgrading the river infrastructure to bring more commodities to export as well, Floss said. Brazil will outpace the U.S. on water infrastructure if we are not careful, he said. “It’s very possible they are going to be able to do some pretty incredible things there because of the transportation system they are building,” Floss said.
“They are investing in their infrastructure, not only river infrastructure, but even the pipelines they are building for their ethanol. They are all geared towards the export market and we are stuck in rules and regulations and litigation,” Floss said.
Also mentioned was the desire of many environmentalists to return the rivers to natural states. That would mean the end of use of the rivers for exports and other shipping that we need.
A power grid improvement in Indiana, I read recently, was met with lawsuits that will delay it for 5 years and at a time we already have seen the inadequacy of the power grid show up in rolling brown outs.
We are shooting ourselves in the foot, it seems, at every turn in the road that could lead us to improving our ability to grow the economy and compete in the world.
- JP
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