Responding to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study report released today by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, American Waterways Operators President & CEO Tom Allegretti reiterated the tugboat, towboat and barge industry’s understanding of the need to prevent the movement of invasive species, including Asian carp, between the two watersheds by utilizing a comprehensive set of science-based control measures that protect the free flow of waterborne commerce that is vital to the regional and national economies.

The American Waterways Operators, the national trade association representing the U.S. tugboat, towboat and barge industry, praised yesterday’s bipartisan passage of H.R. 3080, the Water Resources Reform Development Act, as a clear commitment to improving the nation’s ports and waterways and recognition of the tremendous value of our water transportation network.