A
Sample Resolution
Requesting United States Congress
To Enact & Fully Fund Navigation
Needs On Our Nations Rivers
Whereas, the upper reaches (headwaters)
of many of our nations 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 UMRAs efforts to achieve
all of the above goals.
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