• One gallon of fuel in a towboat can carry one ton of freight 2.5 times farther than rail and 9 times farther than truck.
• The lock and dam system directly supports recreation, the environment, and municipalities. The dams create backwaters and side channels, which support habitat, recreation areas, and municipal water supplies.
• Each barge load diverted off of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers is replaced by 15 rail cars or 58 semi trucks. Diversions away from the river increase delays at rail crossings, congestion on highways, and wear and tear on roadways.
• Increasing existing lock capacity will decrease lock delays, leading to further reductions in air emissions from towboats and lower sediment suspension in the river channel.
• According to the EPA, towboats emit 35-60% fewer pollutants than locomotives or trucks. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data suggests the nation currently saves $100-300 million in air pollution abatements, by moving bulk commodities by barge on the Upper Mississippi River system. More barge traffic means more savings.
• Minnesota Department of Transportation estimates shifting from barge to rail results in fuel usage, emissions, and probable accident increases of 331%, 470%, and 290%, respectively. Shifting traffic from barge to trucks increases fuel use 826%, emissions 709% and probable accidents 5,967%. In addition, another 1,333 heavy trucks would be added to already congested highways.
• Lack of competition from U.S. producers in encouraging 77 million acres of virgin land to be converted to agricultural production in South America. The long term impacts are reduced farm income, an increased foreign trade imbalance, and an unprecedented loss of global environmental habitat.

For more information, please contact:
National Corn Growers Association
(314) 275-9915

mailto:corninfo@ncga.com