March 19, 1986 The Honorable Tom Bevill, Chairman House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Energy and Water Development House of Representatives Washington, D. C. 20515 SUBJECT: Coosa-Alabama Rivers Systems Dear Congressman Bevill: On behalf of the 3,500 members of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, I would like to take this opportunity to express our support for continued improvement to the Coosa-Alabama River System. This river system plays a vital role in the shipment of international commerce (export/import) through the port of Mobile and in turn assist in our international balance of payments with other nations. We further respectfully request that the FY 1987 Budget includes sufficient funds to meet the Corps of Engineers capability for the overall operation and maintenance to this project. Cordially, AB Rambean M. B. Rambeau, Director Trade and Transportation Division MBR: 11a Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce P.O. Box 2187, Mobile, Alabama 36652-9986, 205/433-6951 We respectfully request your consideration and approval of the following projects on the Coosa-Alabasa River System for fiscal year 1987: 1) Resume Coosa River Navigation Project. 2) Continued rehabilitation of training dykes and modi- 3) Operation and maintenance stations. Claiborne Lock & Dam. Millers Ferry Lock & Dam. 7) Operation, maintenance, improvements and deepening of Mobile Harbor. We support the testimony of the Coosa-Alabama River Improvement Association and we join the efforts of its membership to maintain and extend the waterway to make the benefits of low cost, energy efficient water transportation available to a broader economic base. Dravo Basic Materials Company, Inc. is one of the leading producers of construction raw materials and aggregates on the Gulf Coast. We rely extensively on the waterways of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas for production and delivery of our products. In 1985 we produced and moved via Alabama waterways over 1,400,000 tons of sand and gravel. We also transported over 125,000 tons of limestone as well as significant quantities of other products. Our projections for 1986 are: Honorable Tom Bevill Dravo Basic Materials Company, Inc. operates a fleet of 23 boats, 85 barges and 7 dredges. We maintain a large terminal and handling facility on McDuffie Island in Mobile, Alabama in addition to numerous support facilities throughout South Alabama and the Gulf Coast. The maintenance of authorized project dimensions is essential for the efficient, orderly production and delivery of materials throughout the waterway system. Drought conditions in 1985 resulted in low flows on the Alabama River. Fortunately, through the efforts of the Army Corps of Engineers and their maintenance dredging program, the cooperation of users and operators on the Alabama River and a lot of luck, navigation was maintained throughout the year even though draft restrictions did limit tow capacities. This condition emphasizes the need for the Corps to have the capability of overcoming extreme conditions in meeting its assigned task of operating and maintaining an efficient, orderly waterway system. order to provide this capability, it is imperative not only that the Army Corps of Engineers be provided with the appropriations as per their budget requests, but also with the additional funds required to insure the Corps has the flexibility and capability to fully realize the potential of the Coosa-Alabama River System and the Port of Mobile. In We sincerely appreciate the Committee's faith in the future of the great waterway systems of the State of Alabama and welcome its continued support of these vital projects. Yours very truly, /vr Leon M. orbert, Jr. I, Nicholas J. Barchie, Jr., am President of Warrior & Gulf Navigation Company and our company is a member of the CoosaAlabama River Improvement Association. We are in support of the Association's request for FY87 and are testifying as part of a regional effort to improve and extend the waterway. Warrior & Gulf is a barge line located in Chickasaw, Alabama and owns 27 towboats and 310 barges making us one of the larger water carriers operating on the Alabama waterways. With our current equipment ownership our annual capacity is approximately 10,000,000 tons. Additionally, we operate a coal handling and iron ore facility and one barge drydock at Port Birmingham; one barge drydock and one boat drydock at our Chickasaw facilities; and, a wholly owned subsidiary of Warrior & Gulf, Mobile River Terminal, is another bulk terminal handling various cargoes from and to ocean-going vessels in the Port of Mobile. Our total employment is 350 people. Due to the recessionary times and the overall depressed level of business being experienced within the Inland Waterway Industry, the tonnage handled on the Alabama River in particular has been down substantially in comparison to prior years. WGN's primary business on the Alabama River has been the movement of wood pulp to Mobile for export to Europe and the Far East. Moreover, we have made various rate quotations to handle other business located along the Alabama River and are optimistic that our tonnage participation on this river will increase upon the economy improving. Warrior & Gulf Navigation Company has been using the Alabama River for twelve or so years. The major limitation encountered on the Alabama River is severe shoaling during the summer months wherein the draft is restricted to no more than 6 feet, thus requiring the loaded draft of our barges being reduced to around 5.5 feet and requiring a very shallow draft vessel to provide the towing of our barges as our own vessel's draw 8.5 feet and cannot Honorable Tom Bevill navigate this river during these periods of extreme low water. Therefore, it is important that the Corps of Engineers be given adequate funding in FY87 to continue the work on training dikes and dredging for improved reliability of the channel, so the Alabama River can reach its potential as a major inland waterway. Furthermore, there is continued pressure before Congress for increased user fees, segment fees, and cost sharing, which we strongly oppose as the waterway users are currently paying a special tax on their diesel fuel. The latest raise in October, 1985 increases the burden on the users in an industry which has been fighting for its very own survival for the past several years. Additionally, the waterway users help the trade balance through lower freight rates giving the U. S. producers a better export market. The waterways provide a competitive alternative for shippers. The waterways provide efficient transportation productivity that lowers inflation and contributes to reducing the national deficit. In the meantime, large subsidies and tax advantages continue to be given to the railroads without any cost sharing requirements. We respectfully request your continued support and assistance as your subcommittee considers appropriation of funds for the Alabama River's operation and maintenance. dej Very truly yours, Jschuler Barched Nicholas J. Barchie, Jr. |