President Biden plans to modernize Mississippi River transport with $2.5 billion to cut emissions, but environmentalists raise concerns.
Ry Rivard and Garrett Downs report for POLITICO.
In short:
- Biden's administration has allocated $2.5 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law to upgrade river transportation.
- Transporting goods via barge uses significantly less fossil fuel compared to trucks and trains, potentially lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
- Environmentalists warn that river infrastructure projects may harm fish and wildlife and dispute the efficiency claims of river transport over other methods.
Key quote:
“There is a lot of myth around inland navigation, a lot of romanticism, that really doesn’t bear out.”
— Olivia Dorothy, restoration director, American Rivers
Why this matters:
Transporting goods via barge offers a greener alternative to traditional methods like trucking and rail. Barges consume significantly less fossil fuel, which could lead to a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This efficiency makes river transport a seemingly attractive option in the fight against climate change, aligning with the administration's broader environmental goals
