Transportation Conversation
Posted: October 5, 2007
Corn growers took their concerns about transportation - both rail and river - to the Capitol this week.
First of all, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) President Ron Litterer formally asked President George W. Bush to sign the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).
Litterer said, “After years of work and months of extensive negotiations, Congress has delivered a WRDA conference report that represents a meaningful and responsible legislative package, addressing issues such as environmental restoration, navigation, flood control, hurricane protection, water supply, irrigation and beach nourishment and recreation. Improvements in these areas will contribute mightily to the well-being of the nation, serving us well in the years to come.”
The White House reiterated the threat to veto WRDA this week, saying it is ”bloated” with political pork. The $23 billion package includes numerous projects around the country from the Everglades to California and has enough support in Congress to override a presidential veto.
Meanwhile, in testimony to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week, the corn growers told legislators the nation’s railroad freight system is providing “deteriorating service” to agricultural shippers.
In written testimony, NCGA said “service predictability is a huge issue. Determining when rail equipment will arrive at origin for loading, when it will be furnished locomotive power and when it will reach destination are increasing uncertainties. It is common to hear reports from agricultural shippers who experience wait times for rail cars exceeding 30 days. In a world of ‘just in time’ delivery, a 30-day wait for your product to be picked up is often unacceptable to your customers.”
Read all of NCGA’s testimony here.