the hill Urgent action on waterways and Farm Bill top the CHS legislative agenda. view from By Lani Jordan T he 2013 CHS approach to critical legislative issues facing agriculture can be described in one word: urgency. While some items on the CHS Government Aff airs to-do list aren’t new, new dynamics created by federal fi nances and severe weather have elevated several to urgent matters. Among those at the top of the list are the nation’s inland waterways. “This is now a crisis,” says John Engelen, CHS vice president, Government Aff airs. Pursuit of major repairs and upgrades for the nation’s vital network of locks and dams has been a staple on the agriculture’s legislative agenda for decades. Despite some steps forward, projects have remained limited and largely underfunded even as costs increased. Engelen cites as an example the Olmsted lock on the Ohio River that was to have been repaired in 1998 for nearly $800 million and now has a $3.1 billion price tag and won’t be complete until 2024. Add to that dramatically lower river levels — particularly on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers — and the situation has reached critical proportions. This challenges effi ciency, volume and costs of moving fertilizer, grain and many non-agricultural commodities. > Your CHS Connection 23
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View from the Hill
Lani Jordan
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