Upper Monongahela River Association


A Sample Resolution

Requesting United States Congress

To Enact & Fully Fund Navigation Needs On Our Nation’s Rivers

Whereas, the upper reaches (headwaters) of many of our nation’s navigable rivers have suffered a decline in river commerce, resulting in severe cutbacks in federal funding for maintenance and operation of locks and dams on these rivers by the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE), including the hours the locks are open for transit by river traffic;

Whereas, this problem is especially severe within the Pittsburgh District of COE, for the Monongahela River in West Virginia, and, for the upper reaches of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania, thus causing great harm to commercial and recreational users of these two rivers and to the communities and businesses that rely on unhindered navigation of these rivers;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that [insert name or organization]:

(1) Requests that the Congress of the United States enact and fully fund legislation requiring that COE base river navigation budgets not solely on the tonnage of commerce, but also on the value of such commerce, and, on the needs of recreational users of the rivers, and, on the importance of all such river uses to the economic well-being and development of communities and regions bounding the river;

(2) Requests that the Pennsylvania and West Virginia congressional delegations, especially those members of the US House of Representatives whose districts include the Pittsburgh District of COE:

(A) Seek appropriations for the federal Fiscal Year 2003 (which began 1 October 2002), and, for successive fiscal years, that will enable the Pittsburgh District of COE to fully meet the navigation needs of all river users and communities for the Upper Allegheny and Upper Monongahela rivers;

(B) Support Congressman Mollohan in his request for $5M to research and demonstrate the feasibility of automating lock operation, directly permitting the remote operation of lock chambers for Upper Mon locks and developing a national technology base for a future combination of cost reductions with service improvements;

(C) Seek congressional authorization and funding for studies of how the federal government might partnership with states and local communities on innovative ways to fund and operate river navigation needs.

(3) Supports the Pittsburgh-based RIVER NAVIGATION COALITION in their extensive and effective efforts to: (a) Keep the locks and dams operational on the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers; (b) Maximize the hours of operation of the locks for all users; (c) Promote river recreational boating; (d) Promote commercial navigation by maintaining the river channels and continued operation of the locks; and, (e) Promote economic growth pertaining to recreational and commercial navigation for the entire region.

(4) Supports the UPPER MONONGAHELA RIVER ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED, a West Virginia not-for-profit 501(c)(4) corporation (successor to the informal Upper Monongahela Committee for Better Boating formed in February 2000), and a founding member of the RIVER NAVIGATION COALITION, in UMRA’s efforts to achieve all of the above goals.