Chuck Fleischmann: A Commitment to Chickamauga Lock

May 2015

Since his first day in office, Congressman Chuck Fleischmann has made the
Chickamauga Lock his number one local priority. From learning the issue inside
and out to educating his fellow elected officials toleading the fight to pass key
legislation, Rep. Fleischmann has demonstrated his commitment to funding this
vital infrastructure project.

Rep. Fleischmann inspects the dewatered Lock during a September 2012 visit.

Learning the Issue and Being Proactive

Rep. Fleischmann made it a priority to visit
the Lock immediately after being elected to
Congress.He worked to learn as much as
possible and to resume construction of this
stalled project. On the right, he is pictured
attending a February 23, 2011 briefing at
the Chickamauga Lock with representatives
from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Rep. Fleischmann fought for a seat on the

Transportation
&
Infrastructure
Committeein order to have direct oversight
of our waterways infrastructure. On June
16, 2011, he was awarded a seat on this
coveted committee. Through his role on the
Transportation & Infrastructure Committee,
Rep. Fleischmann pressed the Army Corps
of Engineers on funding for the Lock. Now,
as a member of the Appropriations
Committee, he directly oversees funding of
the Corps of Engineers.

Rep. Fleischmann worked with local groups

to educate the community and build support
for the reforms needed to restartconstruction
on the Chickamauga Lock. At right, Rep.
Fleischmann is pictured briefing the
Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce on
August 14, 2013.

Rep. Fleischmann questions the Army Corps

of Engineers about Chick Lock funding at a
March 27, 2012Committee hearing.

Working with Colleagues in the House and Senate

Rep. Fleischmann brought Rep. Bill
Shuster, the current Chairman of the
House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee, to visit the Lock on March
23, 2012.
Chuck weighs in heavily in talks with
me, in talks with other members about
the Lock, Shuster said. Thats why hes
going to be successful. Chattanooga
Times Free Press, 6/17/2013.

Sen. Alexander has been a true leader on

Chickamauga
Lock,
and
Rep.
Fleischmann has proudly worked hand in
hand with the Senator to lead the fight to
resume Lock construction.
I especially congratulate Congressman
Fleischmann for his work on [Chick Lock
user fee] legislation. Without his support
and that of Sen. Corker and Congressman
Duncan, this would not have happened.
Sen. Alexander Press Release, 12/3/14

Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) statement: Rep.

Fleischmann has been a true advocate in
Congress for funding our nations locks and
dams. Our work co-leading a bipartisan
letter to leadership on barge fees was critical
to getting key legislation passed to fund locks
in Tennessee and Illinois.

Rep. John Duncan (R-TN) statement:Rep.

Fleischmann has played a key role in passing
legislation that will free up the funding
needed to replace the aging Chickamauga
Lock. I have enjoyed working with him on
this issuehe has been a great champion for
the people of the Third District.

Taking the Lead and Getting Results

Rep. Fleischmann has been a strong proponent of a three step process to fund the Chickamauga Lock
and Dam: 1. Maintain or improve Chickamauga Lock position as number 4 on the list of Army Corps
construction priorities; 2. Reform the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF), which is the funding
mechanism for Chick Lock construction. Until 2014, virtually all of the money in the IWTF went to
one project; 3. Once the funding formula is fixed, increase revenue to the IWTF by enacting a barge
industry supported user fee increase. This adds roughly $40 million per year into the IWTF.

In January 2014, Rep. Fleischmann led a

bipartisan letter to the Army Corps of Engineers
requesting that the Corps prioritize funding for
locks where a replacement is needed due to
significant wear and tear. Chickamauga Locks
current state makes it a top candidate for
replacement due to this condition. Every member
of the Tennessee Congressional delegation
andthree Members from Alabama signed the
letter.
Speaking about Rep. Fleischmanns letter, Cline Jones of the Tennessee River Valley Association said, This is a critical
lock that needs to be replaced and hopefully this widespread support by so many in Congress will help ensure that work
resumes soon. ChattanoogaTimes Free Press,1/30/14

Rep. Fleischmann specifically sought a position on

the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee
so that he could work to secure funding for
Chickamauga Lock. From his position on the
Subcommittee, Rep. Fleischmann helped write H.R.
4923, the Fiscal Year 2015Energy and Water
Development Appropriations Act, which increased
funding for waterways construction by $112 million.
This legislation passed the House on July 10, 2014.
Rep. Fleischmann was able to work very effectively to increase funding for capital investment in the waterways in
Fiscal Year 2014, and to push hard to provide an additional $112 million toward priority navigation projects that
include Chickamauga lock in Fiscal Year 2015. Statement by Mike Toohey, CEO of the Waterways Council in a
letter to the Editor. Chattanooga Times Free Press, 12/12/14

Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Fleischmann

encouraged his colleagues to support H.R. 3080,
the Water Resources Reform and Development Act,
which fixes the funding formula for the Inland
Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF). The IWTF funds
construction for projects such as Chickamauga
Lock, however, all the money in the IWTF had
been going to Olmsted Lock on the Ohio River.
The reform to the funding formula redirects money
to additional projects and is a major step toward
securing funding and restarting Chick Lock
construction.

Rep. Fleischmann urges passage of H.R.

3080

House floor, urging passage of H.R.

3080.

From day one, Chuck realized the importance of passing the Water Resources Reform and Development
Act. He helped lead the fight to pass this bill, explaining the importance of these reforms to Members of
Congress from across the political spectrum. His leadership was an integral part in building a coalition that
understood the importance of our nations waterways infrastructure. Statement by Rep. Bill Shuster,
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman

Rep. Fleischmann had the honor of

presiding over the House floor as
H.R. 3080 passed the House by a
wide bipartisan margin of 412-4.
The legislation passed the Senate on
a 91-7 margin and was signed into
law by President Obama on June 10,
2014. Rep. Fleischmann is pictured
at right during the final vote count on
the House floor on May 20, 2014.

After the passage of H.R. 3080, Rep. Fleischmann began

urging Speaker Boehner and other key Congressional
leaders to increase the Inland Waterways User Fee from
20 to 29 cents per gallon of diesel fuel. This industry
supported user fee adds $40 million in funding to the
Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF). In November
2014, Rep. Fleischmann teamed up with Rep. Dan
Lipinski (D-IL) to craft a bipartisan letter urging an
increase in the user fee as part of an end-of-the-year
agreement. Rep. Fleischmanns letter was successful, and
the House of Representatives passed H.R. 647, the ABLE
Act, which included the fuel fee increase.
Today Congressman Chuck Fleischmans
leadership has resulted in a vote in the House of
Representatives that is a crucial step toward
guaranteeing resources will be available to
replace the Chickamauga Lock.Olin Chemical
Press Release, 12/3/14

the ABLE Act and increased Chick

Lock funding

Fleischmann has been a true champion and

been very supportive of efforts to move an
increase [through the House], said Mike
Toohey, CEO of the Waterways Council.
Chattanooga Times Free Press, 12/12/14.

Securing sustainable funding for the Chickamauga Lock has been years in the making, and without the
strong representation we have in Congress, this may never have happened. Sen. Alexander and Congressman
Fleischmann saw a broken system. Rather than simply covering up the problem, they dug to the roots and
have instituted real reform. There has been no greater champion than Fleischmann. Mike Arms, Executive
Director Association of Tennessee Valley Governments. Chattanooga Times Free Press, 12/14/14

In March 2015, Congressman Fleischmann

briefed leaders from around Chattanooga at
the Chamber of Commerce on the status of the
Chickamauga Lock. He also received an
award for his work from Cline Jones,
Executive Director of the TennesseeCumberland Waterways Council.

Cline Jones presents an award to Rep.

Fleischmann for his progress in securing
Chick Lock funding.

Getting a shovel in the ground

When the Presidents budget request provided
no funding for Chickamauga Lock, Rep.
Fleischmann decided that wasnt good enough.
As Vice-Chairman of the House Energy and
Water Appropriations Committee, Rep.
Fleischmann worked to both increase inland
waterways construction funding by $108
million, and insert language to ensure that
Chickamauga Lock retained its place in the
Army Corps of Engineers priority order. This
leaves Chickamauga Lock well positioned to
receive funding in Fiscal Year 2016.

Rep. Fleischmann speaks about the

Energy and Water Appropriations bill on
the House floor. The bill recently
passed by a large majority.

"You have moved this project forward 13 years with a tremendous savings and benefit to the taxpayers,"
Waterways Council President Mike Toohey told Fleischmann. Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/9/15

On July 1, 2015, after consistent urging by Rep.

Fleischmann, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
announced that they would resume construction
on the Chickamauga Lock by immediately
allocating $3 million in excess Inland Waterways
funding for Fiscal Year 2015 construction.
Thanks to reforms that Rep. Fleischmann helped
pass, these funds ensure that Chickamauga Lock
construction will resume and is on path to be
fully funded when Fiscal Year 2016 starts on
September 30, 2015.

A tugboat pushes a barge through

Chickamauga Lock. Nearly 2 million tons of
cargo traverses the lock every year. The new
Chickamauga Lock will have increased
capacity, letting more goods travel for less cost
and benefitting East Tennessees economy.