[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
COMMENDING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE AMERICAN WATERWAYS OPERATORS [AWO], 
  THE NATIONAL TRADE ASSOCIATION OF THE INLAND AND COASTAL BARGE AND 
TOWING INDUSTRY, WHICH IS CELEBRATING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY ON DECEMBER 
                                7, 1994

                                 ______


                       HON. W.J. ``BILLY'' TAUZIN

                              of louisiana

                           HON. HOWARD COBLE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 1994

  Mr. TAUZIN. Mr. Speaker, we are pleased to recognize a valuable 
national industry. The barge and towing industry's vessels have 
provided transportation for American citizens since the 1600's.
  The industry has its roots in America's early flatboats which brought 
basic supplies to distant outposts and paddle-wheelers which 
transported goods to the burgeoning American West. Today's towing 
vessels and barges superseded these boats and now comprise an industry 
that moves more than 15 percent of the Nation's freight for less than 2 
percent of the Nation's transportation costs.
  U.S. barge and towing companies carry bulk liquids and solids, 
including petroleum and petroleum products, coal, chemicals, grain, 
building materials, and other basic building blocks of American life. 
It is the most productive, fuel efficient, and environmentally friendly 
method of moving the raw materials vital to our Nation. The industry 
provides direct employment for approximately 180,000 American citizens.
  Millions of Americans depend on the barge and towing industry, which, 
throughout history, has provided vast areas of the country with access 
to distant markets and resources involving both domestic and foreign 
trade, resulting in significant regional economic benefits to 
communities located along the waterways. As an essential component of 
the Nation's transportation infrastructure system, the barge and towing 
industry has provided a valuable service to the American people with 
benefits that have contributed toward the country's economic well-
being.
  American Waterways Operators is the national trade association 
representing this important sector of America's maritime transportation 
industry. AWO represents hundreds of carriers and small and medium 
sized shipyards which build and repair towing vessels and barges, as 
well as affiliate members including suppliers, manufacturers, insurers, 
bankers, and other associations and businesses which serve the maritime 
industry.
  Since 1944, AWO has successfully defined, supported, and advocated 
its members' interests and operations, and has promoted greater public 
awareness of the waterborne transportation industry's contribution to 
the overall U.S. economy.

  AWO's many accomplishments include leading the effort to establish 
the Towing Safety Advisory Committee [TSAC]; working toward the 
enactment of the 1986 Water Resources Development Act; forging a 
partnership between the Coast Guard and the towing industry in the 
aftermath of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990; streamlining the title XI 
guarantee program; successfully stopping States from imposing 
regulations requiring tank barges to recover vapor emissions before the 
establishment of Federal uniformity and safety standards; securing 
overcharge rebates during diesel fuel tax litigation; successfully 
having reasonableness standards written into the marine provisions of 
the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments; creating the River Industry 
Executive Task Force [RIETF] that helped restore commerce to the Nation 
after the drought of 1988 and the Great Flood of 1993; and defeating 
the proposed $1 per gallon increase in the inland waterways fuel tax.
  We are pleased to honor AWO and this milestone in its history marking 
50 years of service and recognizing the barge and towing industry's 
significant contribution to America's citizens and the Nation's 
economy.

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