The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) released an announcement Tuesday that applauded the US House of Representatives’ passage, by a vote of 412-4, of a bill--known as the Water Resources Reform and Development ACT (WRRDA)--to fund port dredging and improvements and repair and replace aging inland waterways locks and dams.
"The steel industry relies heavily on seaports and inland waterways to move raw materials necessary for steelmaking and bring finished steel products to market. However, a bill to improve water infrastructure is long overdue," said Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of AISI. "Our nation’s seaports are heavily congested and not dredged to full capacity, while our inland waterways include obsolete and aging infrastructure that often results in costly delays – threatening more than one million US jobs in the next six years. This long- awaited compromise bill will help ensure our nation remains globally competitive, and provide more efficient and cost-effective navigation for our vital water infrastructure needs."