The Water Resources Development Act of 2020 was including in the year-end Appropriations Bill. Approximately $1 billion will be made available over the next ten years to improve locks and to carryout dredging projects to improve barge traffic.
A significant provision of the legislation is establishing a cost-share formula by which 65 percent of taxpayer revenue and 35 percent from a tax on barge diesel fuel will contribute to a Waterway Trust Fund. This will provide $100 million for renovation of installations on the upper Mississippi and Illinois waterways. A functional transport infrastructure from the corn belt to the Gulf is critical for the transport of ingredients for chicken production and for export.