Completion of New Inland Waterways Projects Will Support U.S. Agriculture Jobs & Economy
WASHINGTON, DC – The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) today applauded Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for prioritizing and providing new funding for the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP), which is critical to America’s agricultural community.
CRA has long advocated for modernizing America’s ports and inland waterways, which richly benefit the U.S. economy. The Corps’ new Fiscal Year 2020 Work Plan, which was made public this week, includes funding for a number of important navigation projects under construction such as:
“Every year billions of dollars of agricultural goods flow through America’s waterways, which are increasingly unreliable due to maintenance delays. Modernizing our inland waterways system is critical to supporting U.S. agriculture jobs and farms across our country,” CRA President and CEO John Bode said today. “As an important part of America’s agriculture economy, CRA members thank USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, the leadership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and our elected leaders in Congress, particularly Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, for making the completion of these projects a priority to help American agriculture compete in global markets.”
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The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is the national trade association representing the corn refining industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since 1913. Corn refiners manufacture sweeteners, starch, advanced bioproducts, corn oil and feed products from corn components such as starch, oil, protein and fiber.